


all good things are wild and free

by poetictragedy



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alpha Isaac Lahey, Alternate Universe, Anal Sex, Barebacking, Biting, Blood, Blood Magic, Bottom Isaac, Bottom Scott, Bottoming from the Top, Children, Come Eating, Comeplay, Deepthroating, Desk Sex, Dirty Talk, Domestic Fluff, Fingerfucking, Fluff, Hair Pulling, Hale Family Feels, Hand Jobs, Hospitals, Hurt Isaac, Infidelity, Jealousy, M/M, Magic, Magical Stiles Stilinski, Marriage Proposal, Mates, Minor Character Death, Minor Violence, Mpreg, Nightmares, Nipple Piercings, Nipple Play, Office Sex, Oral Sex, Overprotective Isaac, Pack Bonding, Pregnant Sex, Resurrection, Reunions, Rimming, Rough Sex, Scott's First Full Moon, Shower Sex, Sibling Bonding, Stiles/Jackson Sex Scene, Tattoos, Weddings, adults acting like children, doing cute shit like washing each other's hair/body, showering together
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-04-05
Updated: 2013-10-05
Packaged: 2017-12-07 13:12:50
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 34
Words: 133,862
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/748888
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/poetictragedy/pseuds/poetictragedy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Isaac is a young Alpha werewolf who lost his family in a brutal house fire years ago. Though werewolves and humans have been coexisting peacefully for a century now, there are still hunters and the Hale family was, unfortunately, a random target for them. So Isaac was forced to live alone in the world, to make a new pack and start his own family, and he didn't think things were going to get better...</p><p>But everything changes when Isaac meets Scott McCall.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Isaac's story is basically Derek's. Except for the fact that, in my mind, I have it set up where Derek was Isaac's older brother and he lost him in the fire. So you might notice some parallels between the two of them.
> 
> ([This](http://www.iphonewallpapersgo.com/pics/Howling_Wolf_Moon.jpg) was the inspiration behind one of Isaac's tattoos.)
> 
> (Also, I apologize for any mistakes you find and if, at any point during this fic, you feel the need to leave an asshole comment — don't. If you don't like this fic, that's fine; just don't be an asshole about it, please.)

The day is winding down and Isaac is standing at the sink in the bathroom, scrubbing his fingernails along his soapy palm. Grease and oil are still caked underneath his nails and he gives up after a few minutes, shoving both of his hands under the stream to rinse them off. The water that disappears down the drain is a smoky gray colour and soapy; there’s still some leftover oil splattered on the porcelain.

Isaac turns the sink off and wipes his hands on the darkest towel he can find, not wanting Stiles to yell at him for dirtying up  _another_  one of their good ones. He sets it on the sink and walks into the hallway, tugging his shirt off, leaving him in just a tank top.

“Daddy!” A voice screams out and Isaac stops in his tracks, running his tongue along his lips, watching as a little girl with golden brown curls comes barreling toward him. “Daddy,” she repeats.

With a laugh, Isaac picks the little girl up and brushes their noses together, a typical wolf greeting. “Where’s your papa?”

“Comin’.”

“Annabel?” Stiles’ voice rings out and Isaac walks into the living room just in time to see the other man come in, a pink backpack slung over one shoulder. He’s in his scrubs, clearly ready for work, and he gives Isaac and their daughter a smile. “Good, you’re here,” he mumbles, setting the backpack on the couch.

“I’m always here,” Isaac corrects, quirking a brow as he comes over, situating Annabel on his hip. “When are you going to be home?”

Stiles sighs and runs a hand through his hair, shaking his head. “A pack got taken down by some hunters and the hospital needs me,” he answers before coming over to pepper Annabel’s face with light kisses, smiling when she giggles. “I don’t know how long it’s going to take but I should be home before the morning.”

Silence falls over them and Isaac nods his head curtly, watching as Stiles moves around the apartment, gathering things. He grabs his bag of herbs and a book off the shelf before running out the door, saying a quick goodbye to Isaac and Annabel.

As soon as the door is shut, Isaac sets Annabel down and turns on the television, playing Tangled, which is her favourite movie. He makes sure she’s okay before going to change out of his dirty clothes, shoving them into his hamper. 

Isaac looks at himself in the mirror, fingers running over his tattoos, sighing as he traces the one on his ribs. “Healing may not come quickly, but it will come,” he whispers to himself and snorts, suddenly remembering the fire that took out his whole family.

Pain shoots through him and Isaac shakes his head, moving to grab a clean pair of clothes. He tugs on a pair of tight jeans and digs out a clean tank top, tugging it on over his head before grabbing his Doc Martens.

Annabel is still in the same spot when Isaac comes back a few minutes later and he scoops her up, play-biting her cheek, causing her to squeal as she squirms in his arms.

“You wanna go to Wolf Moon, baby?” Isaac asks as he settles her on his hip again, walking over to grab her backpack. She nods her head enthusiastically and squeals, her hands going into Isaac’s hair, playing with his curls. “Alright but you’ve gotta be good, you know that, right?”

“Uh-huh,” Annabel answers, grinning up at Isaac when he turns to look at her. She leans in and presses their foreheads together, giving him a quiet little growl which never ceases to make him smile.

Once he pulls away from his daughter, Isaac carries her to the door and opens it, slipping out into the hallway. He locks the door behind him and slings her backpack on his shoulder, hefting her higher on his side as they walk. Annabel sings a little song to herself and Isaac smiles, listening to her.

The Wolf Moon cafe is only a block away from their home and it doesn’t take Isaac long to get there, even on foot. He walks into the building and breathes in the smells of coffee, pastries, and tea. It feels like home in there, reminding Isaac of his mother, and his chest tightens before he pushes those thoughts away.

“Isaac!” The girl behind the counter squeals and Isaac looks at her, smiling when he sees that it’s Allison. She waves him over and the smile on her face spreads when she sees Annabel.”You brought her in today,” she points out, moving her hand up to touch the little girl’s nose.

“Yeah, Stiles is working tonight. Something about a pack being ambushed or something,” Isaac says, his voice grim. Hunters are few and far between these days but that doesn’t mean they’re completely gone. The last major attack Isaac can remember was on his own family and the hunters had burned them all alive.

Allison frowns at him and pats his cheek, fingers stroking across his skin slowly. Its another wolf thing, comforting someone through touch, and Isaac calms down immediately, smiling. The girl drops her hand away and moves to grab a cookie from the display before handing it to Annabel, who takes it with a delighted sound.

“The usual?” Allison asks when she looks at Isaac, smiling so wide that her dimples are set deep into her cheeks. 

Nodding, Isaac smiles and answers, “Large black coffee with a cherry danish, yep.”

“Coming right up.” With that, the girl behind the counter turns and starts making his coffee, humming a pop tune to herself. Isaac watches her and sits Annabel on the counter to grab his wallet, taking out a couple of bills. When Allison comes back with a cup of coffee and a danish wrapped in wax paper, Isaac hands her the money and smiles before taking his food.

Annabel clings to her father’s neck when he picks her up with one arm, settling her in the crook of it. He carries her over to a table and sits her down on one of the chairs, sighing as he drops into the other. Isaac has been on his feet all day and he’s been looking forward to coming to the cafe since eight o’clock that morning.

While they eat, Annabel hums and sways, her eyes wide as she watches people come in and go out the door. She points them out to Isaac, always knowing which are wolves and which are humans, and he praises her each time she’s right.

“Wolf,” Annabel says, patting the tattoo on Isaac’s bicep. He glances down and looks at the ink on his arm; the black wolf howling in front of a gray moon on a bluish background. Leading up to the piece are wolf paw prints and blue-gray-white swirls along his forearm. “Grrr,” she says and erupts into giggles.

Isaac smiles and nods his head, leaning over to kiss her forehead. “Yep, baby, that’s my wolf. You know who these are for?” As he says that, he points to the paw prints — seven in total — and looks at his daughter, eyebrows raised.

“Pack!” 

“Very good.” Isaac chuckles and finishes his coffee, looking around the room until he notices someone looking at him in the corner. It isn’t someone he’s ever seen before and he pulls his eyebrows together, his wolf stirring under the surface. The need to sit in front of Annabel and protect her washing over him, suffocating.

The other boy moves and gets up, walking over toward Isaac’s table and he growls, sliding Annabel’s chair closer to him. He half hides her behind his body and glares at the other man, his eyes going from blue to red and back.

Fear fills the room and Isaac swallows, watching as the other man trembles and stops, as if he’s thinking about what he’s doing. Everyone knows that wolves are protective of their children but Alphas are worse. 

“I’m sorry,” the guy says and he chuckles nervously, lifting a hand to fix the glasses on his nose, biting his lip. “I just… I’ve never seen a wolf with so many tattoos.” Isaac doesn’t hear a skip in the guy’s heart but he’s still wary of him, half a second away from snarling.

“What do you want?”

The other man blinks and shifts uneasily, laughing. “I’m Scott,” he offers, shrugging his shoulders as he moves his bag around to pull a camera out, waving it around a little. “Photography student.”

“Isaac,” is the reply Scott gets and Isaac lifts a brow. “Again: what do you want?”

“I want to tell you but I’m afraid you’re going to rip my head off,” Scott says, honestly, and Isaac relaxes a little, sensing that the other man means neither him nor his daughter any harm. 

Isaac calms down and pulls away from Annabel, showing her to Scott but staying close to her in case the human decides to do something. “Tell me. I’m not going to rip your head off,” he mumbles.

“Right.” Scott laughs again and motions to the seat across the table, dropping down into it when Isaac nods, giving him permission to sit. “I just wanted to see if it’d be alright if I photographed you?”

“What for?”

“An assignment. We’re supposed to find wolves that have been changed by life and, by the looks of your tattoos, I’m going to say that you’ve definitely been changed.” Scott pauses and swallows, the sound filling Isaac’s ears as clear as day. “I already have a wolf with scars from an Alpha and a werewolf with half his face burnt.”

Isaac winces when he brings that up and touches one of the paw prints on his forearm. The only wolf he knows that is burnt like that is his uncle and he didn’t know anyone was allowed to see him in the hospital.

“So?”

“So what?” Isaac snaps, his eyes settling on Scott. “You want to photograph me and exploit my life for your assignment?”

The other man gulps and shakes his head. “No, not exploit but — show everyone that not all wolves are negatively affected by tragedy. I mean, your tattoos are gorgeous,” he says, setting his camera on the table.

Annabel stands up on her chair and leans over to touch the damn thing and Isaac nearly growls at her before realizing that she’s just curious. She touches the lens and smiles up at Scott before saying, “Picture.”

“No, honey, he’s not going to take your picture.” Isaac swallows thickly and looks at Scott, taking him in for a second. “And fine, you can photograph me but I’m not giving you a sob story to go along with it.”

“Awesome!” The word comes from Scott’s mouth quickly and he blushes when Isaac’s eyebrows shoot up. “I mean,” he says with a laugh, “that’s great. When are you able to do it?”

“When is it due?”

Scott purses his lips together for a second before saying, “Tuesday.”

And it’s already Friday. Jesus, Isaac really doesn’t want to do anything for the other boy but he can’t say no. He’s too nice to say no to someone like Scott and he sighs, nodding slowly, albeit reluctantly.

“Awesome. So when can we get together?” Scott asks, clearly excited.

“Tomorrow. My daughter doesn’t have anyone to watch her right now,” Isaac replies, moving over to pick Annabel up and settle her on his lap. He lets her play with his fingers as he tells Scott his phone number, telling the other boy to call him when he wants to get together.

Scott smiles and thanks Isaac three times before scrambling out of his chair and moving toward the exit. Isaac watches him and shakes his head, burying his face against Annabel’s hair, breathing in slowly.

They go back home half an hour later and Annabel falls asleep on the couch while watching the rest of Tangled. Isaac puts her in her bedroom and goes to watch something on television, his mind not a hundred percent there. He decides to go and finish the carburetor he’s been working on for the past week, hoping that will keep his mind off everything.

It takes Isaac less than two hours to finish and when he’s done, Annabel is up and saying she’s hungry. So he fixes dinner for both of them and they eat while his daughter tells him about the people from the cafe. As she talks, Isaac thinks about Scott and wonders why he wanted to photograph  _him_? Sure, he has tattoos but that isn’t uncommon for wolves. 

Maybe there’s another reason, he thinks as he gives Annabel a bath and tucks her into bed, reading her a long story. She falls asleep and Isaac goes to the bedroom he shares with Stiles. It’s been a while since they shared it as mates but Isaac likes having the other man there in the bed with him and doesn’t have the heart to kick him out.

Isaac falls asleep and doesn’t wake up until he hears Stiles come in the next morning, smelling like blood and wolfsbane and a bunch of herbs he can’t put his finger on. The human slips into the bed and curls up around Isaac, both arms wrapping around his waist. 

Neither of them say anything. Isaac doesn’t talk about his encounter with Scott and Stiles doesn’t talk about what he had to do at the hospital. They fall back asleep and stay that way until Annabel wakes them up later in the afternoon.


	2. Chapter 2

Stiles takes care of Annabel when she comes into their room, all two year old energy and smiles. She jumps onto the bed between them and proclaims, rather loudly, that she wants pancakes. The other man gets up and carries her out of the room, leaving Isaac alone.

The bed smells like other wolves, blood, wolfsbane, and several herbs that Isaac knows Stiles uses in his healing practices. He rolls over and presses his face against the pillow the other man sleeps on, breathing in his scent deeply. Though they may not have been mates for a while and haven’t really been together, the smell of Stiles still manages to calm Isaac down — even when he comes home smelling like someone else.

It’s no secret that Stiles is sleeping around and Isaac just turns a blind eye when the other man comes home, smelling like another person — another  _wolf_ — and he just pretends that he doesn’t care.

Because, really, Isaac doesn’t care. He just wants Stiles to be happy and if that’s with someone that isn’t him, then he isn’t going to step in the way of his partner’s happiness. 

The smell of pancakes pulls Isaac from his reverie and he gets out of bed, yawning as he follows the scent into the kitchen. He smiles when he sees Stiles standing at the stove with Annabel on a chair beside him. As he gets closer, Isaac can see that their daughter is dropping chocolate chips onto the pancakes in the skillet and he smiles.

Isaac comes up and wraps his arms around Annabel’s waist, nuzzling his face against her hair. He smiles when she squeals and pulls back, accepting the chocolate chips she shoves between his lips, play-biting her fingers.

“Daddy!” Annabel squeals and giggles, turning around to drop more chocolate pieces into the pancakes before Stiles flips them over. The sizzle they make against the hot surface makes her squeal again and she bounces in Isaac’s arms. “Again, papa!”

Stiles shakes his head and flips the last one, turning to look at the both of them, a smile ghosting over his lips. “So,” he says as he turns back to flip the pancakes one more time before sliding them onto a plate, “what did you guys do after I left yesterday?”

“Anna watched Tangled for a bit, then we went to Wolf Moon where Allison gave her a cookie the size of her head,” Isaac murmurs after chewing and swallowing. He runs the tip of his tongue along the bottom of his teeth, working it into the crevices, trying to get the chocolate out. “How was work?”

“Awful.” Stiles sighs and pours more batter onto the skillet, chewing on the inside of his cheek. Isaac frowns and moves forward to kiss his cheek before nuzzling his face against the other man’s neck, growling softly at him. “Thank you,” Stiles says and laughs. 

Nodding, Isaac moves away from Annabel and goes to grab a plate from the cabinet, putting a few pancakes onto it. He goes over to the fridge and licks his lips, opening the door before grabbing the butter. “Are you off today? I kind of have something I have to do today,” he mumbles as he moves over to the silverware drawer, rummaging around for a fork.

“Yep. I was thinking about taking Annabel to go see my dad today.” As he speaks, Stiles turns to look at Isaac, his brows pulling together. “What do you have to do today?”

“There was this kid,” Isaac starts as he opens the butter, sticking his fork in to grab a dollop, “at Wolf Moon that wanted to take pictures of me for some assignment he’s doing today. And, well, you know me — I can’t say no to anyone.”

Stiles laughs and hums, turning around to flip the pancakes again before bringing his attention back to Isaac. “That’s nice of you,” he whispers and Isaac nods, coming closer with a sigh. “It’ll be nice for all of us, then. To get out, I mean. You can get out of the apartment, Anna can go see her grandpa, and I can get away from the hospital.”

“Was work really that bad?” Stiles doesn’t answer Isaac’s question, just nods his head and turns the burner off before putting the fresh pancakes on the plate with the other. Frowning, Isaac kisses his temple and moves over to the table, sitting down before pouring syrup onto his pancakes.

As he eats, Isaac watches Stiles pick Annabel up and sit her down in her highchair. He gets her some pancakes, cuts them for her, and pours syrup onto the edge of her plate. The three of them eat quietly and Isaac thinks about Scott, about what he’s going to do today, and his stomach twists uneasily.

By the time they’re done eating, Annabel has syrup in her hair and all over her face, the sight making her parents laugh, both of them forgetting about everything for a moment. Stiles volunteers to give their daughter a bath and picks her up before carrying her off into the bathroom.

Isaac watches them walk away and licks his lips, tasting syrup and chocolate and butter on them. He gets up a few minutes later and puts the dishes in the sink before going into their bedroom. Sighing, Isaac grabs the jeans he wore the previous night and takes his cellphone out of the pocket, blinking when he sees a message. The number isn’t one he recognizes but he opens it anyway, figuring that it’s Scott — or someone that changed their number.

The message contains an address, a time to meet, and is signed with “Scott” at the end. It shouldn’t make Isaac smile but he can’t help it as he looks at the screen, shaking his head quickly. He tosses the phone onto the mattress and walks around the room, getting ready.

As he gets ready to go, Isaac listens to his family in the other room. Stiles is singing a song to Annabel and she’s telling him to sing louder, the mere sound of their voices making Isaac wonder if he’s doing the right thing.

Before he can change his mind though, and bail on Scott, Isaac tugs his lacrosse hoodie over his head, letting the fabric hang around his torso, the sleeves shoved around his elbows. He grabs his messenger bag, shoes, wallet, cellphone, and keys before going into the hall, heading toward the bathroom.

Isaac leans against the door frame and smiles at Annabel when she looks up at him, splashing in the water. “Daddy’s gotta go now,” he says and comes in to lean over the tub, kissing the top of her head. “Have fun at your grandpa’s, okay?” Isaac smiles at her and moves to kiss Stiles’ lips quickly before pulling back. “Tell the sheriff I’ll see him sometime soon.”

“Will do, Is.” Stiles smiles, he and Annabel watching as Isaac walks out of the room, their daughter screaming “bye bye daddy” at him. He falters for a moment and swallows, thinking about his family. They aren’t perfect, not by any means, but they’re all he has. So why is he going out to someone else’s house? Especially when that someone might be a person Isaac wants to be with.

Isaac would love to work things out with Stiles and be happy with him but he doesn’t see that as an option anymore. Though he knows that they can do it and they can be happy for Annabel, Isaac knows that Stiles has moved on. Still, he thinks about how they used to be and he finds himself longing for those moments again.

But it’s not quite enough to keep him from walking out the door. It doesn’t keep him from getting into the Camaro and it doesn’t stop him from punching in Scott’s address into his navigation system.

As he pulls away from the apartment and starts driving toward Scott’s, Isaac wonders what the man Stiles has been seeing is like. He knows that he’s a wolf, just doesn’t know who it is or even who it could be. His only guess is that it’s another healer or a doctor or a nurse from the hospital. 

Isaac isn’t like the terrible, overbearing Alphas people are always talking about, the ones who are so possessive they kill their mates just for looking at another person. He knows that Stiles wasn’t happy with their relationship because he wasn’t happy, either. So they decided to parent as friends and if they ended up bed together to do something that wasn’t just sleep then that’s their own business.

But Isaac longs for a mate. He longs for someone to make him happy and someone that he can love in all the ways he hadn’t been able to do for Stiles. Isaac also hopes that Stiles has someone that loves him like that and he wants, more than anything, for them to both be happy.

While he thinks about his relationship with Stiles, Isaac doesn’t pay attention to where he’s going, just follows the voice coming from the GPS. Until, that is, the voice tells him that he’s arrived at his destination and he looks at the house he’s sitting in front of.

The house is gorgeous and big, definitely something that belongs to a family, and Isaac starts to panic a little as he swings the Camaro into the driveway. He lets the car idle for a moment and tries to calm himself down, telling himself that it’s alright if Scott has a family because Isaac himself has one.

It takes him a few minutes to get out of the car but once he does, Isaac grabs his things and shuts the door. He slings his bag over his shoulder and goes up the porch steps, taking in all the scents around him. The scent of roses and lavender hits his nose and he stares at the door, eyebrows pulled together. Isaac smells vanilla, honey, sugar, cinnamon, and Scott a moment later, the combination of scents causing his stomach to flip.

Isaac comes closer to the door and hesitates for another moment before pressing the doorbell, listening to it ring out in the house. He can hear two heartbeats inside and the sound of Scott’s voice resonates, followed by another voice. Older. Female. Possibly a mother or aunt or even a grandmother, Isaac thinks as he watches the door open.

“Hey, Isaac!” Scott grins at the wolf, leaning against the door. He’s wearing a tight gray, teal, and dark blue striped shirt with long sleeves and a pair of tight jeans. Isaac suddenly feels under dressed in his lacrosse hoodie, tank top, loose jeans, and oil-caked work boots. The other man motions for Isaac to come in and he steps forward, into the house.

The smell of vanilla hits him like a punch in the gut and suddenly Isaac realizes that what he smelled was cupcakes. He smiles, following Scott into the kitchen where a woman is taking pans out of the oven. Everything smells so good in the kitchen and it reminds Isaac of home, of how his mother and sister used to bake all the time.

Scott smiles and grabs an already-frosted cupcake from the counter. “This is my mom, Melissa,” he says as he unwraps the dessert, tearing it into pieces. He pops one into his mouth and chews slowly with a smile on his face, his eyes never leaving Isaac. “Mom, this is Isaac — the Alpha I was telling you about?”

“Hmm?” Melissa hums as she sets the pans on the counter and shuts the oven door, turning to look at Isaac. His eyes go wide when he sees her and the scar above her eyebrow, which looks just like a claw. “Isaac,” she says with a smile and his stomach twists. “I can see why Scott picked you for his project; your tattoo is gorgeous.”

“You haven’t even seen the one on his bicep. Seriously, that one is the most amazing tattoo I’ve ever seen,” Scott replies before popping another piece of cupcake into his mouth.

Isaac smiles and shakes his head. “Thank you. It’s nice to meet you, Melissa, and — I hope I’m not being too forward by asking this — but the scar on your eyebrow,” he starts, lifting a hand to touch the same spot above his own brow. “Was that from a wolf?”

“Yes, it was,” Melissa answers, the smile still plastered on her face. “I work at the hospital and sometimes wolves come in so riled up that they don’t know what they’re doing — or even where they are. They’re so apologetic and guilt-ridden when they realize, though.”

“My partner works at the hospital,” Isaac blurts out and winces when he realizes that he just pulled the ‘partner’ card out on someone that he might possibly want to be with. “I mean — he isn’t my partner anymore but we have a daughter together. You might know him.”

Melissa smiles and hums before asking, “What’s his name?”

“Stiles.” After a beat, Isaac adds: “Stilinski.”

“I know him. He’s a good healer; very smart, kind, and competent.”

“Right,” Scott says with a laugh as he grabs two more cupcakes, handing one to Isaac. “My mom’s gotta finish baking for some nurse’s retirement party or whatever.”

Laughing, Isaac looks at the cupcake, then up at Melissa, bowing his head toward her with a smile. “It was nice to meet you,” he says before following Scott out of the room.

The other man leads him down to the basement where lights are set up in front of a white backdrop. There’s a single stool sitting in front of the background and a camera sitting on a tripod in front of it. Other chairs are spread about the basement and Isaac looks around, following Scott to where everything is set up.

“If you could take your hoodie and shirt off, that’d be great.” Scott smiles and starts messing with his camera while Isaac sets his things down.

Snarling a little (playfully), Isaac takes his hoodie off and sets it on the table with his messenger bag. He pulls the tank top up and over his head next, tossing it onto the table as well before going to sit on the stool in front of Scott. 

Scott’s eyes go wide when he sees Isaac’s tattoos and the wolf grins, turning to show him the triskele between his shoulder blades. “I have a lot of ink, I know,” he mumbles like it’s no big deal and, really, it isn’t; more and more wolves are getting tattoos now a days.

“Right, um, what about those?” Scott makes a vague motion toward Isaac’s chest and he looks down at his nipple rings, shrugging. “Don’t you, like, heal after getting stuff like that done?”

“Not necessarily,” Isaac answers, moving a hand along his stomach, moving his fingers to trace the tattoo along his ribs. “My partner is a healer - and a witch - and he knows how to make a concoction we can drink before getting a tattoo or piercing. It slows our healing down and basically makes it nonexistent until everything is done.”

Humming, Scott takes the camera off the tripod and comes over to kneel in front of Isaac, smiling. “I like that tattoo,” he says and snaps a photo of the words going across Isaac’s rib cage. “Why’d you get it?”

“No sob stories, remember?”

“Come  _on_ , it’s not like I’m going to publish it. I’m just curious.” 

Isaac sighs and traces the quote — “ _healing may not come quickly, but it will come_ ” — and shrugs, dragging his tongue ring along his lips. He listens to the top ball clink against his teeth and looks down at Scott. “My family got murdered by hunters when I was sixteen,” he answers, finally, and chuckles. “This is a reminder to myself that I may not be okay, even six years later, but I will be someday.”

“Oh.” Scott frowns and looks up at Isaac through his lashes, nodding his head slowly. “I’m sorry — about your family, I mean,” he whispers.

“It’s fine. You learn to get over those kind of things quickly and I’ve had Stiles and Annabel to keep me busy.”

“Your partner?” 

A frown appears on Isaac’s face and he shakes his head. “We used to be mates but realized that there wasn’t anything between us anymore. Not after Annabel was born,” he mumbles.

“And she’s the little girl you had with you yesterday?” Isaac nods in response and smiles brightly. “I can tell you love her a lot,” Scott whispers and he’s smiling, too, giving the werewolf a lopsided grin.

“Yeah, she’s kind of my entire life. I don’t have a pack anymore so Stiles and Anna are my whole world.”

“Until you find a mate,” the human adds and Isaac snorts, nodding with a quiet laugh. “So why aren’t you out, looking for your mate?”

Isaac licks his lips and shrugs, lifting a hand to run through his hair quickly, scratching his scalp. “Because it’s not easy with a two year old and, plus, I’m a mechanic down at Hale’s,” he murmurs and swallows hard, letting out a soft, bitter laugh. “It used to be my uncle’s place before the fire.”

“You’re a  _Hale_?” Scott asks, his eyes going wide as he sits back on his heels, blowing out a breath. When Isaac corrects him, saying that his last name is different, the human raises an eyebrow. “Why’d you change your last name, then?”

“Because I hate being recognized and I hate people that give me the ‘aw, you poor thing’ looks whenever they see me,” Isaac explains, dragging his hand through his curls before dropping it onto his lap. “My last name is Lahey now. Which was my mother’s maiden name.”

Scott chews on his lip and mumbles an apology before moving onto what he had Isaac come to his house to do. He takes pictures of the tattoo on the wolf’s bicep from all angles, as well as the swirls and paw prints on his forearm, and stops when he sees the quote on Isaac’s other forearm.

“Hey,” he asks, moving his hand to touch the quote — “ _all things good are wild and free_ ” — and runs his fingertips over each letter. “Why’d you get this one? And what kind of font is that? It’s pretty.”

“That one…” Isaac trails off, looking down with a heavy heart. He reads the word just like he does every day and remembers the day his mother wrote that out for them. It was kind of their family motto and one of his mother’s favourite quotes. “My mom used to say that all the time. It was a quote from Henry David Thoreau and it was kind of like a saying my family had. She would end her notes to us in it and after the fire, I found a bunch of old letters from her to my sister, Laura, and this was at the bottom. That’s her handwriting,” he whispers, moving his fingers along the words.

Scott goes silent and looks at the tattoo before looking up at Isaac with a soft, sad smile. “It’s a nice tattoo,” he whispers and pulls back to take a photo of it, sighing. “Wanna turn around and show me the triskele?”

Turning around, Isaac shows his back to Scott and closes his eyes, remembering his family. He thinks about them all the time but he doesn’t really talk to anyone that isn’t Stiles or Annabel about them. When he hears the camera click, Isaac turns back around with a smile.

“Got anymore?” Scott asks with a grin, holding the camera against his bicep.

“Two more.” With a wolfish grin, Isaac turns his right arm out, showing a name going across the top of his elbow: Annabel Grace Lahey. The human snaps a picture of it and steps back with an expectant look and Isaac rolls his eyes. 

The Alpha stands and pulls the waistband of his jeans down, showing a tattoo that goes along his hip. “Wild thing, huh?” Scott asks and snorts, taking a picture of it before going to set the camera back on the tripod.

“It was kind of a sibling thing. Derek and Laura had it, too.” Isaac shrugs and pulls his jeans back up, shoving his hands into his pockets. “May I look at the pictures you took?”

“Yeah, of course!” Smiling, Scott picks the camera up again and flicks through the pictures, showing them to Isaac. He breathes in deeply when he seems them and he thinks that they actually look a lot better in pictures than they do in real life. “Please say you like them,” the human murmurs.

Isaac chuckles and nods quickly, licking his lips. “Yeah, they’re gorgeous, Scott,” he answers and pauses, biting the edge of his lip as he debates whether or not he wants to ask about the pictures of Peter. Before he can talk himself out of it, Isaac asks, “What about the pictures of the burnt wolf? Can I see those?”

“Uh,” Scott says, frowning. “Why do you want to see those?”

“He’s my uncle,” Isaac says with a shrug, his eyebrows drawn together. “If you don’t want to show me, that’s fine, but I haven’t seen him since I put him in the hospital six years ago.”

The human hesitates and nods, flicking to a couple pictures before the ones of Isaac’s tattoos. “There,” he says, going through the photos when the Alpha tells him to keep going.

Peter looks…. horrible. Isaac can’t believe he looked that bad and he has to turn away from the camera. He swallows hard and moves to grab his tank top, tugging it on. How could he have done that to his only living family member? How could he have put him away and let him live his life like that?

“You okay?” Scott’s voice is soft and so full of concern that it actually takes Isaac by surprise. He nods his head and licks his lips, turning to look at the other man, giving him a wary smile.

“I’m fine. It’s just a little hard seeing him like that.” Isaac moves over to sit on the stool again, lifting his feet up to rest on the rungs. “I knew that he was bad but… not that bad. Kind of repressed it, you know?”

Scott nods and sets the camera down on the table before dragging a chair up so he can sit in front of Isaac. “I get it. My mom’s scar used to be a lot worse before the wolf that attacked her healed it. He didn’t get it to go away completely, though, but at least no one stares at her anymore,” he mumbles.

“Your mom is a nice woman,” the Alpha says and he smiles, reaching out to put his hand on top of Scott’s. “And she’s beautiful. I only noticed the scar because I’m a wolf myself and I notice them on everyone.”

Neither of them say anything and Isaac draws his hand back, resting it o his knee. He licks his lips and clicks the top of his tongue ring against the back of his teeth, watching Scott. The room smells like dust with hints of vanilla and cinnamon, sugar, Scott, and a hint of sadness.

Isaac sighs and stretches a little. “We should do this again. I think I’d be willing to hire you to take pictures of Annabel for us,” he says and moves off the stool, clapping a hand on Scott’s shoulder.

“Wait,” Scott says, turning around in the chair. “An Alpha is actually going to allow me to take photographs of his children?”

“Yes, why — is that so surprising?”

Scott snorts and nods quickly. “Alphas hate when their children are even looked at and to have a human take photos of them? It’s almost unheard of,” he mumbles.

A laugh bubbles up from Isaac’s throat and he shakes his head, pulling his hoodie on before shoving the sleeves up again. “I’m not your typical Alpha, Scott,” he replies, grabbing his bag and slinging it onto his shoulder.

“Clearly.” Scott grins and stands, holding his hand out for Isaac to take. The Alpha looks at it for a moment and slips his hand into the human’s, shaking it slowly. “Just let me know if you want to get together and let me take pictures.”

“I will,” Isaac says and smiles, picking the cupcake up. “You think your mom would give me two more for Stiles and Annabel?”

The human laughs and nods, leading Isaac back up to the kitchen. In the end, Melissa does end up giving him more cupcakes and she sends him off with best wishes. Scott takes him to the door and stuffs his hands into his pockets, looking up at Isaac with a bashful smile.

“What is it?” The Alpha asks, quirking a brow.

“You said that Stiles isn’t your partner, right?” Isaac purses his lips and nods, his forehead furrowing slightly. “Does that mean you’re up for, like, hanging out with someone, then? I mean, not as a  _date_  date but — kind of just hanging out,” Scott says and chuckles nervously.

Isaac’s brows shoot up and he nods without thinking. “Yeah, I can hang out with someone else. We’re not officially together or broken up, after all,” he replies.

“Awesome. So do you want to maybe get a cup of coffee with me?”

“When?” Isaac’s heart is pounding so hard that he can’t differentiate between which is his and which is Scott’s. He smiles and licks his lips again, a nervous habit he picked up from Stiles.

Scott thinks about it and shrugs. “Monday? I have class but I get out at around five. You can bring Annabel, if you want.”

“Monday at five sounds good.” With that, Isaac moves off the porch and goes to get into the Camaro, his ears perking up when he hears Scott telling him to call him sometime. He shakes his head and lifts a hand, giving the human a thumbs up before getting into the car.

The ride back to the apartment is full of soft music playing on the radio and thoughts about Scott. Isaac doesn’t feel bad about what he’s doing until he gets back home and sees that no one is there. Then he remembers Stiles. Beautiful, gorgeous, smart, amazing Stiles and he suddenly doesn’t feel like it’s okay for him to be with someone else.

Isaac puts the cupcakes in the fridge and collapses on the couch, staying there until Stiles comes in with Annabel. He kisses them both and  helps the other man make dinner while their daughter watches a movie in the living room.

Neither of them talk about their day and Isaac doesn’t bring up the fact that Stiles smells like the mystery man he goes out with. He doesn’t say anything, actually, and eats quietly while Annabel tells him about her day with grandpa. 

At night, Isaac and Stiles put Annabel to sleep and say goodnight to her after reading three bedtime stories each. They go into their room, strip down to nothing, and Isaac lays next to Stiles, smelling the other man on him.

One day, Isaac thinks, he’s going to ask who the other man is and they’re going to talk about what to do about their relationship. But today is not that day and he goes to sleep, listening to the steady thump of Stiles’ heartbeat — with Scott on his mind.


	3. Chapter 3

Time seems to go by slowly and Isaac becomes impatient, waiting for Monday to come so he can see Scott again. In the meantime, he texts the human and they talk about everything under the sun; Isaac tells Scott about his family — both the pack he lost and the one he started on his own — and Scott tells him about his own family.

By the time Monday does roll around, Isaac feels like he knows more about the human than he does about his own mate. He doesn’t even talk to Stiles unless he really has to and Isaac knows that the other man can feel them drifting apart. 

Monday starts off as it normally does: Isaac gets Annabel ready for daycare while Stiles gets himself ready for work. They move about the apartment quietly, Annabel doing most of the chatter. When everyone is ready to go, Isaac kisses Stiles, then their daughter, and watches the two of them walk out of the apartment. He leaves not long after, his body thrumming with excitement and his nerves shooting through the roof.

Everything is normal… up until lunchtime. 

A Porsche rolls into the garage parking lot just as Isaac and Boyd are finishing up removing an engine from an Oldsmobile Cutlass. Neither of them see the damn thing or even know it’s there until Erica yells at them.

“There’s a fancy ass car coming,” she says from where she’s at, changing spark plugs on a Mustang. When Isaac looks up at her, Erica points to the parking lot and he turns, frowning.

It isn’t until the man opens the door that Isaac catches his scent and he recognizes it. He growls low in his throat before grabbing a rag laying on the bumper of the Cutlass. Boyd gives him a strange look and Isaac shakes his head, wiping his hands on the already-dirty rag.

The man that gets out of the Porsche is wearing a white button-up shirt and a pair of slacks, his short hair gelled into spikes. He has a pair of sunglasses on and lifts them as Isaac walks forward, smiling brightly at him, though his wolf wants to tear him apart.

“What can I do for you?” Isaac asks, tossing the rag over his shoulder as he shoves his hands into the pockets of his jumpsuit.

“I was told by a…  _friend_  that this was the best garage in town,” the man answers and he smiles, though it’s tight.

Isaac smiles, feeling a sense of pride wash over him. “You heard right. Now,” he says, tipping his head toward the Porsche, “what’s wrong with that beauty?”

“Nothing’s wrong with it — I don’t  _think so_ , anyway. She just needs an oil change and maybe a tired rotation.”

“I can do both of those and have you out of here in no time.”

“Good, I’ve got to get back to work soon,” the other man answers and lifts a hand, scratching his jaw. Stiles’ scent is all over him and Isaac would guess that, if he were to open the door, he’d smell it on the interior.

With a nod, Isaac moves back into the garage and calls out of his shoulder, “Pull her in and we’ll get started.”

The other man climbs into the car and Isaac joins Boyd, his eyes flashing red. His employee quirks a brow at the Alpha, his head cocked to the side questioningly.

“That’s the guy Stiles is sleeping with,” Isaac answers, growling quietly.

“Shit, are you serious?” When the Alpha nods his head, Boyd whistles and looks back to the car, which is pulling into the garage. “So he’s the wolf that stole your man?”

Isaac growls and narrows his eyes at Boyd. “Don’t talk about him in the garage,” is all he says before moving over to the Porsche, all smiles.

“How long do you think this is going to take?” The other wolf asks as he climbs out of the car and Isaac blinks at him, shrugging. “It’s just — I have to be back at the hospital in forty five minutes.”

“Oh, it’s not going to take that long. If it does, I’ll have Erica,” Isaac hooks a thumb over his shoulder, “call you a taxi.”

The other wolf nods his head and moves to let Isaac do his thing. He stays quiet while Isaac and Boyd lift the car, watching as they gather all of their tools.

None of the wolves speak to each other, though Isaac can feel the tension in the room. Erica growls quietly as she works on her car and Boyd’s eyes flash gold every couple of minutes.

When he’s had enough of that, Isaac turns to the customer and asks, “So, what’s your name? So I know who to make the bill out to.”

“Jackson,” he answers and clears his throat before adding, “Whittemore.”

Now that he knows the wolf’s name, Isaac feels a little better and worse all at the same time. He goes back to what he’s doing, getting the tires rotated in no time at all. When that’s done, Isaac changes the oil and tells Boyd to write up a bill.

After everything is said and done, the Alpha hands the bill to Jackson with a tight-lipped smile. “Your car’s all done.”

“Thank you,” Jackson says, laughing as he fishes his wallet out of his pocket, watching as the Porsche is lowered onto the ground. “I don’t mean to be rude or to admit I was eavesdropping but — did you say the name ‘Stiles’ earlier?”

“Hmm?” Blinking, Isaac nods and then smiles sadly. “Yep, Stiles. He’s the father of my daughter. Why — do you know him?”

Jackson purses his lips together and nods, handing Isaac a few bills. “I work with a guy named Stiles. He’s a good healer,” he answers and moves to get into the Porsche. “Thanks again for doing this.”

Clenching his jaw, Isaac nods and listens to the engine start. Jackson backs out of the garage, turns sharply, and leaves the parking lot, his tires squealing on the pavement.

Once Jackson is gone, Isaac goes to put the money away and takes his phone out of his pocket, looking at a text from Scott that says ‘class is boring, hope you’re having a better day!’ and sighs. He exits out of the message and goes through his contact list, wondering if he should call Stiles and confront him.

Isaac decides to do that later and goes back to work, focusing on his job instead of everything else. Before he knows it, it’s time to close up and he has just enough time to go home, shower, and change before meeting Scott at the coffee shop.

But even as he goes about his day, Isaac can’t get the image of Stiles sleeping with Jackson out of his mind. The only thing that can distract him is Scott and from the second he walks through the door of Wolf Moon, Isaac can’t think of anything but the human.

Allison is standing behind the counter when Isaac steps up to it and she smiles brightly at him before asking, “Usual?”

“Actually…” Isaac trails off and laughs, looking up at the menu board above her head. “I think I’ll try something different. Maybe a vanilla latte and a cranberry scone?”

“You sure you want to try something new?” Allison teases and when the Alpha nods his head, she moves to make his drink. She comes back a moment later with the cup in one hand and a scone in another. “Where’s Anna and Stiles?”

Isaac shrugs and takes his wallet out. “I’m actually here on a date,” he answers and blushes when she makes a comment. “Yeah, yeah, how much do I owe you?” Allison tells him how much and Isaac counts the bills out, telling her to keep the change.

After grabbing his coffee and scone, Isaac moves over to sit at a table in the corner, his heart pounding in his chest. He watches the door and sips his latte, surprised to find out that it actually tastes pretty good. 

The latte is half gone, as is the scone, by the time Scott walks into the cafe and he comes over, dropping into the seat in front of Isaac. 

“I am so sorry,” he says, huffing out a short breath and a laugh. “My mom needed me to bring her an extra pair of scrubs. So I had to run home, then to the hospital, and then run here. I hope you weren’t waiting long.”

“Not long at all,” Isaac says, smiling brightly at the human. “I would have ordered for you, had you texted me and told me what you wanted.”

Scott snorts and waves a hand dismissively as he takes his bag off his shoulders, setting it on the ground. He excuses himself and stands, moving over to the counter, striking up a conversation with Allison as she makes his drink.

When he comes back, Scott scoots his chair forward and rests his hands on the table, fingertips nearly brushing Isaac’s. “So,” he says and lifts his  cup, taking a long sip, “how was your day?”

“Long, dirty, and kind of annoying at midday.”

“Why?” Scott frowns and licks his lips.

“Remember when I told you that Stiles and I aren’t seeing each other anymore?” The human nods his head and Isaac sighs. “Well, he’s been seeing someone else — another wolf — and I haven’t known who. Until today, that is,” he mumbles, running a fingertip along the edge of his cup.

The frown on Scott’s face deepens and he hesitantly moves his hand onto Isaac’s, squeezing. “That sucks. I’m sorry,” he whispers. 

“It’s alright. At least now I’m free to date whomever I want, right?”

“Right!” Scott laughs and brushes his thumb along Isaac’s, which has him purring low in his throat. “So who do you want to date, then? Just so I know who my competition is.”

Isaac rolls his eyes and turns his hand over, lacing his fingers with Scott’s. “You don’t  _have_  any competition,” he murmurs. 

“So…” 

“So what?”

“So this is kind of like a date?” The human is blushing and Isaac bites back a laugh as he nods his head. “Awesome. My mom said she could feel something between us. You know, like, women’s intuition or something like that,” he mumbles.

This time, Isaac does laugh and he squeezes Scott’s hand. “Your mother is right — there  _is_  something between us,” he answers and sighs contentedly. “Have you not felt it?”

“No… well, kind of? Like, I’m not a wolf and I’m kind of oblivious to the whole ‘knowing when someone likes you’ thing. But I have felt something when we talk and when you were over.”

“I feel that, too,” Isaac says and brushes his thumb along the length of Scott’s, the feel of their skin rubbing together making him — and his wolf — completely happy. “You make me happy in ways that Stiles hasn’t in a long time and we’ve only known each other for a short while.”

Scott blinks and bites his lower lip. “So what’s that mean?”

Isaac doesn’t answer at first, just watches the human’s teeth worry along the skin of his lip. He swallows thickly and brings his eyes up to Scott’s, smiling softly. 

“Do you want the truth?” The Alpha asks and Scott twists his mouth up to one corner, then bobs his head a little, smiling. “I’ve thought about taking another mate for a long time now — since Stiles and I realized we weren’t going to work forever. Since I’ve met you, I’ve wondered if you could possibly be my mate some day.”

“Mate…” 

“Yes,” Isaac answers, his stomach twisting into knots. “Does that bother you?”

Silence falls over them and Isaac watches Scott’s face as he thinks, swearing that if he listened hard enough he could actually hear him think about what he said. He doesn’t say anything and doesn’t take his hand away, just continues to brush their thumbs together.

After a few minutes, Scott shakes his head. “It doesn’t bother me at all,” he answers and smiles nervously. “But, like, does that mean I’d be sharing you with Stiles or something?”

“No.” The word comes out of Isaac’s mouth as a growl and he sighs, pulling himself together before saying, “It means that  _you_  would be my mate instead of Stiles. He obviously has someone else and, who knows, he might be  _that_  wolf’s true mate.”

“So why were you two together? I mean, if he wasn’t your true mate.”

Isaac sighs and lifts his free hand, running it through his hair. “Stiles and I were best friends in high school. When the fire happened, he was  _literally_  all I had left in this world, so I clung to him. We were inseparable and then, two years ago, we had Annabel. Things were fine until then and I don’t know what happened, but we’ve been drifting apart ever since.”

“Oh.” Rolling his lips in over his teeth, Scott nods and scoots his chair around the side of the table, getting closer to Isaac. “Well, I wouldn’t  _mind_  being your mate — in the future, of course.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, I mean… my mom’s talked about how her friends are mated to werewolves and they love it. She said she even  _dated_  one before I was born and said that maybe things would be different, had she stayed with him instead of being with my dad,” Scott says and sighs. “How — um — how quickly does the mating process happen?”

The Alpha swallows and turns in his seat. “It can happen quickly or it can be a slow buildup. With Alphas, though, they sometimes mate fairly quickly,” he answers, his eyes soft as he looks at Scott.

“So… what’s the timeline?”

“It won’t happen quickly until we’ve had sex. So if you plan on jumping me right now, it could happen as early as next week.”

Scott whistles and shakes his head, grinning. “So unless I want to become your mate soon… I can’t have sex with you?”

“Were you planning on having sex with me sometime soon?” Isaac quirks a brow and grins back at the human.

“Maybe. I mean,” Scott pauses and chuckles, “you are ridiculously sexy and I do have a thing for Alphas. Not that I’ve dated any ‘cause, you know, I haven’t but there’s something about them that’s… hot.”

A laugh bubbles up from Isaac’s throat and he lifts a hand, cupping the back of Scott’s neck. He brushes his thumb along the hair that lies just above the nape and leans in, gently pressing his lips to the human’s. He doesn’t care that there are people around them or that most of them are watching, just focuses on the way Scott’s mouth feels against his own.

 

They kiss for a moment longer before someone clears their throat from behind the counter and Isaac growls in frustration before realizing that it was Allison that broke them up. She points to the door and mouths ‘Stiles is coming’, which has Isaac pulling his hand away from Scott’s.

“What — ” The human starts, but Isaac interrupts him.

“Stiles is coming in and I don’t want him to see us together, not right now. I’m going to talk to him tonight, I promise, but…” Isaac trails off and swallows, hoping that Scott won’t be upset. He doesn’t smell sad and he’s smiling, so Isaac calms down, feeling his heart sink into the pit of his stomach as Scott moves away.

When the door opens, Isaac watches Stiles come in with Annabel beside him and she lets go of his hand before breaking into a run. She makes her way over to Isaac, wobbling a little the whole way, and he pushes his chair back just before she jumps onto his lap.

“Daddy!” Annabel squeals and she kisses his cheek before nuzzling him, her arms wrapped around his neck. 

Isaac laughs and nuzzles back, putting a hand on the middle of her back, brushing their noses together. “What are you doing here, baby?”

“Cookies!” Giggling, Annabel turns and sits on Isaac’s lap, looking up at Scott with a smile, her curls falling in front of her eyes. “Hi,” she says.

“Hello,” Scott replies and looks up at Isaac with a raised brow, holding his hand out to the little girl when he gets a nod from the Alpha. “What’s your name?”

The little girl puts her hand in Scott’s and squeals. “Anna.”

“Scott,” he answers and smiles, laughing when she starts saying his name over and over, leaning back against her father. “She looks just like you, you know that?”

“People say she looks more like Stiles,” Isaac murmurs, running his fingers through her hair, frowning. He works a tangle out with his fingertips and laughs when she growls at him. “But thank you.”

A moment later, Stiles comes up and smiles. “Hey, Is,” he says, turning to look at Scott, frowning. “I’m Stiles — and you are?”

“Oh.” Scott purses his lips together and holds his hand out to Stiles, smiling a few seconds later. “I’m Scott — a friend of Isaac’s.”

“Nice to meet you,” the other man answers, shaking Scott’s hand before letting it go, smiling softly at him.

“Papa, cookie?” Annabel asks, blinking up at Stiles.

With a chuckle, Stiles nods his head and says, “I’m going to get you a cookie, hold on.” 

“Cookie, cookie, cookie!” The little girl repeats the word and kicks her legs back and forth, her feet hitting Isaac’s shins.

“Better get her a cookie, Stiles,” the Alpha says with a smirk and he watches the man walk away before getting in line. “Why don’t you go with Papa, baby? You can go talk to Allison.”

Annabel squeaks and climbs off Isaac’s lap. “Allison,” she calls out, though she doesn’t say the L’s in her name. Isaac watches her run over to Stiles and smiles at them both, listening to her talk about Allison.

“She’s sweet,” Scott says and Isaac turns to look at him, nodding his head slowly. “And she seems to like me, right?”

“Yeah, she likes you. When she doesn’t like someone, she growls at them and gets quiet. She definitely doesn’t touch them.”

A smile spreads across Scott’s face and he looks at Isaac. “That’s good, especially if we do become mates and I become, like, her step-dad,” he murmurs.

“She’ll start to love you if you come around more,” Isaac says and laughs, moving a hand underneath the table to squeeze Scott’s thigh gently. “Which you should come over. After I’ve told Stiles, of course.”

“Are you sure that’s a good idea?”

Isaac thinks about it and realizes that, no, it probably isn’t a good idea but he wants both men in his life to get to know each other. He also wants to interact with Scott and Annabel in his own home, where there aren’t as many people. 

“It’ll be fine. Stiles will either react well to the news or he’ll be upset, but I don’t think he’s going to be  _too_ sad about the whole thing.” The Alpha moves his hand away from Scott’s thigh and finishes his coffee, watching as Allison hands Annabel a cookie. “But I should probably go home with them and talk to Stiles about everything,” he says, sighing as he pops the last bit of his scone into his mouth.

Frowning, Scott looks at the two at the counter and smiles as he turns back to Isaac, nodding. “I’ll text you later,” he says and bites his lower lip, clearly wanting to kiss Isaac again.

“Give them a minute,” Isaac says, nodding to his family. Stiles says he’ll see him at home and Annabel waves to the two of them before turning her attention to Allison, giving her a huge grin.

Once the other man is out of the cafe and Isaac can no longer hear his voice or Annabel’s, he turns to Scott, catching his lips in a soft kiss. He breaks it almost as soon as it started and touches his cheek, smiling.

Isaac stands and picks his coffee cup up, taking it over to the trash can before throwing it away. He looks back at Scott one more time, smiles, and leaves the building, running down the sidewalk to catch up with his family.

As the three of them walk, Stiles talks about work and how one of the doctors had him cover his patients while he left to go on an errand. Isaac knows that he’s talking about Jackson and bites back a comment all while managing to keep his cool.

When they get to the apartment, Stiles puts Annabel in her room and turns a movie on. He tells Isaac that he’s going to take a shower and asks if the Alpha will make dinner, to which Isaac replies that he will.

The whole time Isaac makes dinner, he listens to Stiles in the shower and thinks about how he’s going to bring everything up. Obviously he can’t do it until Annabel is asleep but he doesn’t know if he can wait that long.

Dinner is ready by the time Stiles gets out of the shower and Isaac and Annabel are already waiting for him at the table. They eat in silence, like they seemingly always do these days, and go about their normal evening routines.

Isaac gives Annabel a bath while Stiles watches the news. They both read stories to her, tuck her in, and retire to the living room, where Isaac sits with a beer between his legs, half paying attention to some stupid game show that’s on.

As soon as Annabel starts snoring, Isaac turns to Stiles and sighs, dragging a hand through his hair before saying, “We need to talk.”


	4. Chapter 4

Stiles blinks and turns his head to look at Isaac, smiling at him. “Talk about what? I know I kind of stunk the bedroom up the other night and I’m sorry, really. The wolfsbane smell will come out if I burn some incense.”

“No, it’s not about that,” Isaac says and drains his beer, wishing that he could get drunk _without_  suppressing his healing. Though, Isaac knew that if he  _could_  get drunk, he might end up taking his frustrations out on Stiles in completely different ways. At least now, with both of them being sober, they could have a civil conversation.

Or at least that’s what Isaac is hoping for, anyway.

“Then what’s wrong?” There’s a warm hand on his cheek and Isaac closes his eyes for a moment, his fingers tightening around the neck of the bottle. “Come on, Is, tell me what’s going on,” Stiles whispers.

Opening his eyes, Isaac nods and sets the empty bottle on the coffee table, clearing his throat as he turns his body so he’s facing Stiles, instead of staring straight ahead.

God, this isn’t a conversation Isaac wants to have. He wants to have a family with Stiles, wants to fix whatever the hell went wrong between them, but then he thinks about Scott and everything goes down the drain.

“I met Jackson,” Isaac starts and he swallows thickly, hearing Stiles’ small gasp of surprise. The smell of guilt fills the room and it’s so thick that the Alpha thinks he might choke on it. “Stiles,” he whispers, putting a hand on the other man’s knee, “calm down. I’m… not going to yell at you.”

The scent in the air fades a little and Isaac smiles.

“So…” Stiles chews on his lower lip, his hands folded on his lap. “You know about Jackson, then?” 

Isaac nods his head slowly and swallows once more. “I recognized his scent when he got out of his car and yours was all over him,” he whispers and moves his hand to take one of Stiles’, curling his fingers around the other’s, smiling. “I’m not mad, Stiles. Things haven’t been working for a long time and I know you have…  _needs_.”

“I’m so sorry, Isaac. I — “

“Stiles.” Isaac’s eyes glow red and he shifts forward, cupping Stiles’ jaw with his free hand, brushing his thumb along the other man’s cheekbone slowly. “I’m not mad at you. You deserve to be happy and, believe me, I  _wish_  I could be the one to do that for you but something changed after Anna was born. Not sure what it was but you know what? It’s okay because you’re obviously happy with Jackson. Right?”

There’s a moment of hesitation before Stiles and nods and answers, “I’m really happy with him, Isaac, but I’m happy with you too.”

“No, you’re not. We haven’t been  _truly_  happy with one another since before Anna was born and I’m okay with that.” 

“You’re not going to — you aren’t going to rip him apart?”

A laugh bubbles up from Isaac’s throat and he shakes his head, leaning in to kiss Stiles’ forehead, laying his against it. “No,” he whispers, stroking his fingers down the side of Stiles’ neck. “I’m not going to rip anyone apart.”

“But — why?”

“Like I said before, you deserve to be happy and obviously Jackson is the person that’s going to make you that way. I can’t do it anymore and I’d rather you be with someone that you can have that with instead of being stuck with me forever.” As Isaac speaks, he pulls away and lifts his hand, brushing his thumb under Stiles’ eye. “Besides… I’m kind of seeing someone, too,” he confesses and shrugs.

Stiles’ eyes go wide and he laughs. “Scott?”

“How’d you know?” Isaac asks, his brows pulled together.

“ _Please_ ,” the other man says, laughing again. “I could tell that you two were on a date earlier but I didn’t want to say anything.”

All in all, Isaac is happy with how this conversation is going and he’s glad that Stiles kind of sorta knew about Scott. It makes him feel a little better and he doesn’t have to panic, thinking that the other man will get upset about the whole thing.

“You know that I still love you, right?” Isaac asks, smiling softly when Stiles nods his head, looping his arms around his neck. “Nothing is going to change that because you’re  _always_  going to be my best friend and the father of my firstborn.”

Stiles gives Isaac a crooked smile and leans in, kissing his lips gently. “I love you too, Isaac, and I hope Scott makes you happy. He does, doesn’t he?” 

“It hasn’t been that long but… yeah, he makes me happy.”

“Good.” A brighter smile spreads across Stiles’ face and he leans in, nuzzling against Isaac a little before laying against him with a sigh. “So what are we going to do about… all of this? Do I move out? Do  _you_  move out? Do we continue living with each other until one of us is mated again?”

That was something Isaac hadn’t thought about and, honestly, picturing the apartment without Stiles in it has his chest tightening. He tries to imagine Scott being in his place, spending time with his daughter and cooking dinner together, and that eases the pain just a little.

“Well, has Jackson asked you to be his mate yet?” Isaac’s voice is soft and he realizes that he doesn’t want to know. He’s still jealous that someone else can make his mate — ex mate — happy when he can’t.

Stiles shrugs and pulls away, biting his lip. “He might have asked me a while ago but I said it’d have to wait until you found someone,” he whispers, running his fingers through Isaac’s hair. “Guess I can answer him now, huh?”

“Yeah,” the Alpha agrees, smiling, “tell him you accept. We’ll figure out the custody agreement when we get to it.”

Neither of them say anything else and Stiles stays close to Isaac for a while, laying practically on his lap. That night, when they finally go to sleep, Isaac stays in the living room and sleeps on the couch, giving the bed to Stiles for the first time since they’ve been together.

 

*****

The next morning, things are more relaxed than normal.

Stiles and Isaac actually speak to one another before taking Annabel off to daycare together. The Alpha drops the other man off at the hospital and sits outside for a moment, staring at his phone.

Before he can think about what he’s doing, Isaac texts Scott.

**[to: Scott]**  Do you have class today? Please say no because I’m thinking about skipping out on work for the day and I want to see you.

Once that is sent, Isaac goes to the garage and opens it with Boyd, both of them going inside to start on their projects. When Erica comes in, she makes a comment about the happy smell in the air and Isaac rolls his eyes.

“What’s up, blondie, why are you so happy?” Erica asks, grinning at him even when Isaac throws a dirty rag her way.

“Nothing,” he says and when she growls at him, he laughs. “Okay. Okay, I had a talk with Stiles last night and… I think things are changing.”

Boyd joins the conversation and asks, “What, you two are going to work things out?”

“Not exactly. He’s going to become Jackson’s mate and… I’m thinking about taking one for myself.” Isaac’s cheeks heat up underneath the stares from the other wolves and he growls at them. “Stop looking at me,” he mumbles.

Before anyone can say anything else, Isaac’s phone vibrates on the hood of the Cutlass and he grabs it, grinning at the message from Scott.

**[to: Isaac]**  I had a class today but, guess what, I don’t need to go to it. What do you want to do? Something fun, please.

“Is that him — or her?” Erica’s voice snaps Isaac out of his reverie and he nods his head, biting his lower lip. “What’s his name?”

“Scott and I’m going to hang out with him so you two can deal with the garage all on your own.” The Alpha grins when Erica whines and he winks at her, shoving his phone into his pocket.

Erica pouts and crosses her arms over her chest, showing off the script that goes along the side of her forearm. “I have to be out of here by three, Isaac; I have a date with Lydia,” she mumbles.

“Then close up at three and send everyone else home then,” Isaac says and shrugs, moving out of the garage, clapping his hand on Boyd’s shoulder on his way out. When the other man whistles and tells him to get laid so he can be less grumpy, Isaac rolls his eyes and walks to the Camaro, sliding in behind the wheel.

Now that he’s away from the others, Isaac can freely talk to Scott and he takes his phone out, looking at the screen for a moment before replying.

**[to: Scott]**  We could meet at my apartment? Or I could come to your house, but only if your mother is gone.

A few minutes later, a response comes.

**[to: Isaac]**  Hell yeah, come to my house! My mom’s out and I’m still in my pajamas. Actually, I’m still in bed and I don’t feel like getting out. Just come in when you get here.

Isaac rolls his eyes and sends back a simple text saying he’s on his way before tossing his phone onto the passenger seat. He starts the engine, backs away from the garage, and waves to a couple of his employees before pulling out of the parking lot.

A dozen things go through Isaac’s mind as he drives to Scott’s house and his body is thrumming with excitement, while his nerves shoot through the roof. He hasn’t been with someone in a long time and he’s never dated anyone except for Stiles, so he doesn’t know what to expect with someone like Scott.

By the time he gets to the McCall house, Isaac has halfway convinced himself that he’s going to back out of this whole thing. He tells himself that he doesn’t deserve someone as amazing as Scott and that the human is just going to end up leaving him or getting bored, just like Stiles did.

Isaac sits outside for a long time, just staring at the house, and he gets out of the car slowly. The door shuts behind him and the noise sounds louder, like it’s an explosion in his ears, and he winces, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his jeans.

_At least I’m wearing decent clothes this time,_  he tells himself and looks down at his outfit: a pair of tight black jeans, a Ramones t-shirt, and his work boots — which are a little worse for wear, but whatever. 

After making his way up the porch steps, Isaac stops in front of the door and gulps, listening to the noise inside the house. He can hear Scott’s heart beating steadily and the sound makes him feel calm, more at ease.

It takes another moment for Isaac to go inside and he toes out of his boots near the door, figuring that’s what he should have done if the line of shoes is any indication. He rolls his shoulders and follows the sound of the television, going up the stairs slowly.

The house smells amazing, just like it did before, but instead of being filled with the scent of cupcakes baking, it smells like fresh flowers, perfume, and Scott. 

All things that Isaac could easily get used to.

“Scott?” Isaac calls out as he goes down the hall, following the sound of the human’s voice and purring when his scent becomes a lot stronger.

“In here,” a voice answers back and the Alpha moves into the room he’d been standing in front of, breathing in deeply. He gets hit with the smell of Scott and something underneath it that, a moment later, Isaac recognizes as come and he blushes.

Scott looks up from the television and grins. “Hey,” he says and sits up, making room on the full-sized bed for Isaac. “Sit down and watch the Food Network with me.”

“You like to cook?” Quirking a brow, Isaac moves forward and sits on the bed next to Scott, leaning in close to him.

“A little, yeah, but I just like watching it to make myself hungry.” Scott shrugs his shoulders and turns the television off before flinging himself at Isaac, who laughs and catches the human. “Hi,” he breathes, their noses touching and a smile spreading across his face.

Swallowing hard, Isaac rubs Scott’s back and smiles in return. “Hi,” he whispers and lifts his free hand, touching the human’s face. “Did you want me to come here so you could seduce me?”

“Well…” The grin on Scott’s face widens and he climbs onto Isaac’s lap, his arms wrapped around his neck. “I don’t think it’d be such a bad thing if I seduced you. I mean, I am pretty sexy, right?”

“The sexiest,” Isaac murmurs, moving his hands to Scott’s hips.

Without saying another word, Scott leans in to kiss the Alpha and moves a hand through his hair, fingers dragging through his curls. He shifts a little so he can fit on Isaac’s lap better and opens his mouth in silent invitation.

To which Isaac is happy to take, because he slips his tongue past Scott’s lips and licks into his mouth slowly. His tongue makes long, slow swipes before he presses it against the human’s, tangling them together as he gets a handful of Scott’s shirt.

And kissing Scott is much different than kissing Stiles. With the boy on his lap, it’s electrifying and Isaac finds that he can’t get enough, no matter how long they kiss, and it just wasn’t like that with Stiles.

Which makes Isaac think that this could really work in his favor.

After a moment, Isaac pulls back to breathe and laughs quietly. “This wasn’t exactly what I had in mind when I agreed to come over,” he whispered and playfully snapped his teeth at Scott.

“Oh? What did you want to do, then?”

“You know, I can’t even remember.” With a wolfish grin, Isaac rolls them over so that Scott is laying on his back on the mattress and he’s between the human’s legs. “I don’t know if we should go all the way,” he mumbled as he leaned down to kiss Scott’s neck, “but we could do  _something._ ”

Scott takes a deep breath and runs his hands underneath Isaac’s shirt, dragging the fabric up his skin slowly. “Something, huh? Does that mean you’ll let me give you a blowjob,” he murmurs, laughing when the Alpha growls quietly in response. “Is that something you want, Isaac?”

Things go from being innocent to completely dirty in less time than Isaac ever would have thought but he isn’t complaining. He wants Scott more than he’s ever wanted anyone and he decides to show the other boy exactly how much he wants him.

“Or maybe you can let me blow you,” Isaac suggests and pulls away, taking his shirt off before throwing it away. “I know everyone has the need to please an Alpha but I’ll share a little secret with you..”

“What’s the secret?” Scott’s voice is breathless when he speaks and he runs his fingers along Isaac’s torso, dragging his fingertips along the tattoo on his ribs.

Isaac grins, showing his fangs a little, and runs his hands along Scott’s sides, hooking his fingertips underneath the waistband of his pajama bottoms. “Alphas like to please the person they’re with. They kind of live to please and take care of their mates — and their families — so you don’t have to do anything right now,” he answers and winks, lifting the fabric away from the human’s hips.

A sharp intake of breath fills the air between them and Isaac moves off the bed, pulling Scott’s pajamas down. He throws them away before running a hand along the outside of his thigh, his fingertips skidding across his skin slowly.

All the while, Isaac can’t take his eyes off of the human and he breathes in his scent, the smell of his arousal and the way everything smells around him, and closes his eyes.

In that very moment, the Alpha feels happier than he has in a while. He doesn’t have to worry about Stiles or anyone else because it’s just the two of them. Just Isaac and Scott — that’s it.

And that’s how he wants it to be forever, but with some kids thrown into the mix, of course.

“You are gorgeous,” Isaac comments, blinking his eyes open to look up at the other boy, smiling when he sees colour bleed into his cheeks. He shakes his head and kisses along the inside of Scott’s thigh, biting here and there.

A hand moves into his hair and Isaac hums contentedly, moving a hand to the base of Scott’s cock, stroking it slowly. He feels the human harden underneath his fingers and moves up, flicking his tongue against the head, closing his eyes with a quiet sigh.

Scott’s fingers tighten in his hair and he pulls. “Isaac,” he whispers, gasping loudly when the Alpha takes another inch of his cock, then another, and another, until he’s taken the whole length.

Underneath the surface, Isaac’s wolf is stirring and he can feel him scratching, howling to be let out. He ignores him in favor of listening to the human moan his name above him, grinning around the cock in his mouth.

Isaac breathes deeply through his nose and sucks slowly, his cheeks hollowing out as he slides up. He takes just the head of Scott’s cock into his mouth and sucks softly, teasing the slit with the tip of his tongue. The way the human tastes makes Isaac moan around him and he opens his eyes, looking up.

And the sight is… gorgeous. Scott has his head thrown back, his mouth open, and his chest is rising heavily with each breath. It’s one of the most beautiful things Isaac has ever seen in his life and he dives back down, deepthroating Scott with ease.

“Fuck!” The human pants, his hips thrusting forward. Isaac’s nose is pressed against Scott’s skin and the little bit of hair just above his cock, breathing in his heady scent. “Isaac, fuck, you — you’re so good,” Scott whimpers and the Alpha growls around him before swallowing hard.

When Isaac comes up this time, he pulls off completely and strokes the human’s cock slowly, thumbing across the head. He looks up at Scott with red eyes, his pupils completely blown whenever the other boy says his name in that needy, breathless way.

Isaac takes his hand away and stands, undoing his jeans. He smiles at the protesting whine he gets from Scott and rolls his eyes. “I’m not leaving you, just taking my pants off,” he murmurs and pushes his jeans down, stepping out of the denim quickly.

“Good, ‘cause I would be extremely - ah - upset if you left me here, alone, with a hard cock.”

“You could take care of it,” the Alpha points out and shrugs a shoulder before moving to take Scott’s shirt off, throwing it away. “You could lay on this bed and stroke yourself while you think about my mouth.”

“Shit,” Scott hisses, moaning when he feels Isaac’s hand wrap around his length again, pumping up and down quickly. “Ahhh, Isaac, shi — fuck, your hand feels  _so good_ _._ ”

A grin spreads across Isaac’s face and he strokes Scott a little harder, moving one hand up to play with his nipples. He rolls one between his fingertips, pulls, and then rubs it with the pad of his thumb, his cock throbbing in his boxers from each noise Scott makes.

The Alpha leans down and seals his lip around the hardened skin, flicking his tongue against Scott’s nipple before biting down on it. He growls when he feels a hand move to his hair again, fingers tightening in the curls and tugging, pulling him up, away, closer. Like Scott can’t figure out where he wants him.

“Come for me, Scott,” Isaac whispers, his lips moving along the other’s skin as he moves over to take the other nipple between his teeth. He bites down gently, worrying the hardened skin a little before pulling back, looking up at Scott. “I want you to come for me right now.”

Scott arches his back and whimpers, moving his free hand down to Isaac’s shoulder, sinking his nails into the muscle. He pumps his hips forward and gasps loudly, grabbing Isaac’s hair harder, pulling it until the Alpha hisses and growls at him.

And that — that has Scott coming.

He writhes and bows his back, hips stuttering forward as he shoots all along Isaac’s chest and stomach, panting heavily. The Alpha’s name slips from his lips a few times, mostly coming out in the form of a shuddering moan, and he collapses against the bed when he’s done, completely spent.

Isaac purrs and moves his hand away, having stroked Scott through his orgasm, and he brings it up. He immediately licks at the come, cleaning his skin off before leaning down to do the same to Scott’s cock.

“Ahh, no, I’m too — too sensitive,” Scott complains but stays still, his hands moving to Isaac’s shoulders, laying there, limp.

“I  _had_  to clean you off,” Isaac points out as he straightens up, letting the human’s hands fall onto his thighs, smiling when Scott groans. He swipes a finger through the come on his chest and stomach, sucking it off with a moan.

It takes Scott a moment to calm down from his orgasm and once he does, he looks up at Isaac with a lazy smile. “That was… awesome,” he breathes, lifting a hand to run through his hair, his fingers shaking.

“Mmm,” the Alpha hums in agreement, smirking.

“D’you need me to — ?” Scott makes a vague motion toward Isaac’s lap and the Alpha’s eyes go red, a growl settling deep in his chest. The human laughs and moves his hands down, pushing Isaac’s boxers away from his cock. “I’ll take that as a yes,” he mumbles, wrapping his hand around the other boy’s length, stroking him slowly.

Isaac’s eyes slide shut and he breathes in deeply, moving his hands to either of Scott’s sides, holding onto him. He rocks his hips forward and bites his lower lip, keeping all of his noises in until he feels the human’s thumb brush along the head of his cock. That pulls a loud whimper from the Alpha’s throat and he tips his head back, breathing hard.

The tremors in Scott’s hand fade and he moves his other one down, cupping Isaac’s balls, rolling them between his fingers. He squeezes gently and moves the Alpha’s arms away before leaning up, taking one of his nipple rings between his teeth.

“You’re so hot,” he whispers in between tugging and smirks. “I never thought this would happen but, god, here I am with one of the most gorgeous Alphas I’ve ever seen.”

Isaac growls and snaps his hips forward. “Keep — keep going,” he urges.

“After you came over that one day, I came up here and jerked off while I thought about you claiming me,” Scott confesses and strokes Isaac a little harder, twisting his wrist on every upstroke. “I thought about you bending me over on the bed and slamming your cock into me over and over.” 

The human’s words make Isaac’s body grow warm and he moves his hand to the back of Scott’s head, fingers tangling in his hair.

“And I want you to do that,” the human whispers, “I want you to claim me and mark me and show everyone that I’m an Alpha’s bitch.”

“Fuck!” Isaac gasps, his hold on Scott’s hair tightening. He can feel his orgasm building, can feel the heat pool in his stomach, and he whimpers, thrusting his hips forward.

Scott grins and continues to roll Isaac’s balls between his fingers, squeezing them lightly. “I wanna be your bitch, Isaac,” he murmurs and leans down, sealing his lips around the head of Isaac’s cock.

That, combined with the way Scott strokes his length, is enough for the Alpha to come and he thrusts his hips forward. He shoots into Scott’s mouth and mutters an apology in between gasps, sweat trickling down his chest and between his shoulders.

And Scott swallows everything before pulling back. 

Without warning, Isaac lays down. He’s half on the mattress, half on the human, and he huffs out a long breath, completely sated. “Fuck,” he breathes and opens his eyes to look at Scott, who’s grinning broadly.

“I don’t know about you,” Scott says, yawning, “but I could use a nap.”

“A nap sounds great.” Laughing, Isaac moves off the bed and takes his boxers off, throwing them off to the side. He watches Scott rearrange himself on the mattress and climbs onto it, laying behind him.

They fall silent but it’s not an unpleasant or uncomfortable silence. It’s calm and peaceful, something that has Isaac feeling completely relaxed — unlike the silence that comes between him and Stiles.

After a moment, Scott turns over and tangles his legs with Isaac’s, smiling softly as he closes his eyes. “Maybe when we wake up, we could do something nice,” he whispers sleepily.

“Mmm, maybe. I could take you out tonight, if you want,” Isaac suggests as he wraps his arms around Scott, holding him close. The human just hums in response and the Alpha smirks, listening to his breathing as he dozes off to sleep.

And before Isaac can do the same, he thinks about what happened. His wolf is going insane inside of him, telling him to mate and claim and mark Scott until they’re both satisfied with the results.

But he can’t do that, not now.

The last thought on Isaac’s mind before he goes to sleep is waiting a little while before he has sex with Scott. He can wait that long — hell, he’s gone a long time without it, he can wait again.

Except, he isn’t so sure he can, and he falls asleep feeling doubtful.


	5. Chapter 5

The bed is empty when Isaac wakes up and he rolls over onto his stomach, the thin blanket twisting around his lower half, and he reaches out to touch the space Scott had been laying. He smiles and rests his chin on the pillow, yawning quietly as he smooths the rumpled sheets out, the smell of Scott filling his nostrils. The room smells like both of them, a perfect mix of their scents, and the combination  _shouldn’t_ make Isaac happy — but it does.

Isaac’s only been this happy a few times in his life. The first being when he learned that Stiles was pregnant and the other being when their daughter was born. But he  _knows_  that what he’s feeling in this very moment is completely different. This is happiness only a mate can bring, something that Isaac felt only a _fraction_  of with Stiles.

And thinking about Stiles makes Isaac feel guilty. He shouldn’t feel that way because they’re both happy now and in good places in their lives, but Isaac still feels like he’s betraying Stiles by being with Scott.

Maybe, Isaac thinks as he toys with the sheet, maybe Stiles and Scott will get along. Maybe he’ll be able to look at Jackson one day without feeling like the jealous Alpha he always claims not to be.

_Maybe._

The smell of food pulls Isaac from his thoughts and his stomach growls loudly, causing him to laugh. He rolls out of bed and grabs his jeans, pulling them on without bothering with underwear, and he does them up on his way to the door.

Isaac can hear Scott singing to himself in the kitchen and he shakes his head, smiling brightly as he makes his way downstairs. He stops on the bottom stair and leans against the wall for a moment, just enjoying the sound of Scott singing and being happy.

“ _I want you, all tattooed, I want you bad. Complete me, mistreat me, want you to be bad, bad, bad, bad, bad…_ ” Scott sings and Isaac bites his lower lip, peeking around the corner to watch the human dance around in front of the stove. 

The music continues and Scott keeps singing as he flips something in a pan, moving his hips to the music. Isaac licks his lips and comes into the kitchen, snaking his arms around the human’s waist as he leans down to kiss his shoulder.

Scott squeaks when he feels Isaac’s arms around him and he moves over to turn his iPod down, his heart pounding. “How long were you watching me for?”

“I wasn’t  _watching_  you,” Isaac murmurs, his lips moving across Scott’s skin, “but I was listening from the stairs. I didn’t know you were into The Offspring.”

“Oh.” Pursing his lips, Scott nods his head and shuts the burner off before sliding the eggs onto a plate. “I love them. What about you?”

Isaac shrugs and kisses Scott’s neck. “They were Derek’s favourite band and I learned to like them before the fire. Afterwards, it took me a while to listen to them… or any music my family liked,” he whispered.

Neither of them speak for a moment after that. Scott moves a hand to touch the side of Isaac’s face and turns to kiss his lips, smiling against them. 

“I made breakfast,” he says and Isaac moans quietly. “I hope you like eggs and bacon. I can make other stuff but I didn’t feel like being very  _extravagant_  this morning.”

“Eggs and bacon sound perfect.” Isaac smiles and squeezes Scott’s hips before grabbing a plate. He snatches the human’s iPod off the dock and takes it over to the kitchen table, scrolling through it. 

Scott laughs and grabs his own plate, setting it on the table before going to grab glasses and the orange juice from the fridge. “Did I say you could look at my iPod?”

“I’m the Alpha,” Isaac replies and looks up at Scott, his eyes glowing red for a moment.

“Oh  _god._ “ 

“Hmm?”

Shaking his head, Scott sits down and grabs a fork, cutting into his eggs before taking a big bite, chewing. He watches Isaac go through his music and eat at the same time, biting down on his lower lip.

“Hey, Isaac?” Scott asks after a moment. When the Alpha looks up at him and lifts a brow, the human chews on his lip harder. “When can I meet your family? Like, as your boyfriend — or mate.”

Isaac sets the iPod down and shrugs. “Whenever you want. I was thinking maybe you could come over for dinner tonight,” he says, rubbing his lips together as he watches Scott process that. “If not tonight, then maybe sometime this week.”

“You really want to do it  _that soon?_ ”

“Why not?” Scott shrugs in response and Isaac laughs before saying, “I want you to get to know my family. Stiles and Annabel… they’re all I have - except for Peter - and they need to know you. Just like I need to get to know the man Stiles is seeing.”

Scot scratches the back of his neck and nods. “Okay, yeah. Tonight sounds good. My mom’s working a double shift, anyway, so I’m supposed to fend for myself,” he says and laughs quietly.

With a smile, Isaac leans over the table and kisses Scott gently. “They’re going to love you. Annabel, especially,” he murmurs when he pulls away and he moves his hand on top of Scott’s.

“I hope so.”

For the next few minutes, neither of them say a word. Isaac eats happily and goes through Scott’s iPod again, making a face at some of the artists. He can feel the human watching him and turns red, setting the device back down before finishing his food.

When they’re done, Isaac takes the dishes to the sink and Scott joins him, pushing the Alpha against the counter. He kisses Isaac, stands up on his tiptoes to press their lips together, and Isaac moves a hand to the back of Scott’s head, fingers tangling in his hair.

Scott pulls back after a moment and blushes. “I want you to fuck me,” he breathes and Isaac’s eyes go red for a second when he hears those words, a growl settling deep in his chest.

“You’re serious,” he says in a hushed voice and Scott nods, moving his hands along Isaac’s sides, touching the tattoo on his ribs and then the one on his hip. “Fuck. Where’s your bathroom?”

“Upstairs.” Scott blinks and asks, “Why?”

Without answering, Isaac picks Scott up and the human wraps his legs around the Alpha’s waist, his arms looping around his neck. He holds on as Isaac takes him upstairs, following his directions until they’re walking into the bathroom.

Isaac shuts and locks the door behind them before setting Scott on the sink, his hands coming up to hold either side of his neck. He kisses the human slowly and licks into his mouth, growling against his lips as his wolf stirs underneath the surface.

It’s been a while since Isaac has slept with anyone and even longer since he had sex with someone and have it  _mean_  something. All he can think about is Scott and how good he smells, how  _happy_  he makes both Isaac and his wolf, and he presses his hips against Scott’s, whimpering quietly.

The human moves a hand into his hair and tugs, causing Isaac to growl and bite down on his lower lip. He can taste blood on his tongue and chuckles, murmuring an apology as he sucks Scott’s lip between his own, cleaning the blood off.

“S’okay,” Scott pants and smiles, his hands dragging down Isaac’s arms.

A content noise rumbles in Isaac’s throat and he closes his eyes, enjoying the feeling of Scott’s fingers tracing his tattoos. Gentle fingertips brush along each paw print on his arm and Isaac shivers, dropping his head down to rest it against Scott’s.

This is what he wants: someone that makes him shiver with every single touch and someone that he can’t get enough of. Someone who Isaac can memorize every part of and still feel like he’s finding something new every single time he touches them.

And that someone for him is Scott, he can feel it.

“Shower,” Isaac says and laughs, kissing Scott quickly. “If we don’t do it now, it’s not going to happen at all, and we both need to get cleaned up.”

Even as he says that, Isaac knows that they’re not showering just because they need to. He knows what’s going to happen in there and hopes that Scott knows it, too.

Isaac bites down on his lip and goes to turn the water on, showing his back off to Scott. He fumbles with the knobs for a moment and purrs when he feels a hand moving along his spine. It stops between his shoulders and Scott starts tracing the triskele on his skin, soft fingers moving along each swirl, and Isaac has to close his eyes because it feels  _so good_.

“This means Alpha, Beta, Omega, right?” Scott whispers, his thumb brushing along the bottom swirl, and Isaac nods his head. “Did your whole family have this tattoo — or is it just you?”

“Derek and Laura had them. Along with our parents.” 

Scott hums and leans over to kiss the tattoo, sending a spark throughout the Alpha’s body. “Who was the Alpha? Before you, I mean.”

“My mother, Talia.” Isaac straightens up and turns around, moving his hand along the middle of Scott’s stomach. He hooks his fingers under the waistband of his pajama pants and starts tugging them down slowly, teeth caught on his lower lip. “Any other questions?”

“Not right now.” The words come out as a shaky breath and Isaac grins, nodding as he pulls Scott’s pajama bottoms down. He lets the fabric pool around the human’s ankles and moves around him to take his jeans off, kicking them to the side.

“There’s some lube in the cabinet.” Scott points to a shelving unit above the sink and turns a soft shade of crimson, chewing on his lower lip.

Isaac raises an eyebrow and nods, opening the door. He searches through the contents of the cabinet and grabs a bottle of lube. The thought of Scott using it on himself while he’s in the shower makes Isaac growl and he moves over to the human, kissing him hard.

As they kiss, Isaac backs Scott up into the shower and holds onto him, making sure he doesn’t fall over. Once they’re under the stream, the Alpha shuts the shower door and pushes the human against the wall, growling against his lips.

Scott breaks the kiss to breathe, his hands in Isaac’s hair. “This kind of, like, solidifies it, right?”

“Mmm,” Isaac hums, moving his hand along Scott’s body. Long fingers wrap around his half-hard cock and the Alpha starts stroking him slowly, dropping his head down to nuzzle Scott’s neck. “Sex is the highest form of intimacy and my wolf will see it as claiming you.”

“C-claiming me?”

“As mine.”

A ragged breath leaves Scott’s lips as he tilts his head back. “So — so I can’t sleep with anyone else? Just you,” he breathes.

“Yes.” The word comes out as a soft growl and Isaac bites along the side of Scott’s neck, feeling his pulse underneath his lips. “So tell me right now if you don’t want this. I can stop,” he mumbles.

“I want this.” Scott sounds sure, though his voice is shaking, and he nods, running his fingers through Isaac’s hair slowly. “I knew that I wanted you from the moment I saw you and I — I wanna be yours.”

Those words make Isaac shiver and he comes up, kissing Scott hard. He licks into the human’s mouth and presses their tongues together; the kiss is messy and heated and perfect. Scott’s lips are warm and pliant against his own and Isaac whimpers, stroking his cock until he’s fully hard.

Scott breaks the kiss again and Isaac turns him around, pressing his chest against the shower wall. He takes in a deep breath through his nose and closes his eyes, spreading his legs for the Alpha.

It takes Isaac a moment to realize this is actually happening. He’s about to have sex with this gorgeous, talented, funny man and his heart thuds in his chest as he kisses Scott’s shoulder.

“Just relax,” he whispers, smiling when the human says that he is relaxed. Isaac shakes his head and pops the top on the lube, pouring some onto his fingers before sliding them between Scott’s cheeks. The first press of his fingertip makes them both shudder and Isaac bites at the nape of the human’s neck.

With a quiet warning, Isaac presses the first finger into Scott and feels his muscles clench around him. He nuzzles the back of the human’s head and breathes in his scent, smoothing a hand along his hip to keep Scott calm. 

After a moment, Scott tells Isaac to keep going and he slides the entire length of his finger into the human. The heat and tightness makes him moan and he starts wiggling the digit slightly, pulling it out before pushing back in slowly.

“I —  _Isaac_ ,” Scott moans, his head tipped back against the Alpha’s.

“Are you okay?”

“Mmm… yeah.” A laugh bubbles up from Scott’s throat and he moves a shaky hand around, his fingers dragging through Isaac’s hair. “Keep — keep going, okay? Please,” he breathes.

Isaac nods his head and slips his finger out, only to add a second. The digits slid into Scott slowly and he stops every few seconds, allowing the human to adjust, before slipping his fingers in all the way.

The way Scott breathes and gasps when he twists his fingers makes Isaac growl against his skin and he breathes harshly. It’s so good and he isn’t even inside of the human yet. His cock is hard and throbbing, pressed against Scott’s thigh, and Isaac can’t wait to be inside him.

For a solid five minutes, all Isaac does is finger Scott. He uses two digits and slips them in slowly, dragging them out as he crooks his fingertips, pressing against Scott’s prostate. When the human cries out and starts trembling against him, Isaac presses a third finger against his rim, sliding  them in slower than before.

And Scott — he’s a moaning, writhing mess against Isaac. He lets out the occasional whimper that makes the Alpha stop his movements, concern and worry washing over him. It’s only when Scott tells him he’s okay that Isaac continues to finger him.

Moments later, Scott pushes his ass back and says, “Fuck me.”

“You’re sure?” Isaac asks, his voice breathless.

“Yeah, c’mon —  _fuck me_.”

The Alpha growls and nods as he removes his fingers. He pours lube onto his palm and strokes it over his cock, wiping the excess against Scott’s entrance. After setting the bottle of lube on a shelf and turning the shower head away from them, Isaac grabs Scott’s hip with one hand and the base of his cock with the other.

Isaac takes a deep breath and presses the head against Scott’s entrance, pushing into him slowly. The human is hot and tight and wet from the combination of water and lube and Isaac gasps when he gets the head of his cock in.

“Scott,” he groans, right next to the human’s ear, and he squeezes the human’s hip tightly. A loud whimper fills the shower and Isaac stops with just a few inches of his length buried in Scott, his eyes widening. “Are you okay?”

Another whimper escapes and Scott bites his lip. “I’m — I’m okay, just… haven’t done this in a — a while,” he confesses, gasping sharply.

Frowning, Isaac runs his hand along Scott’s spine and calms him down, kissing across the back of his head. He waits for the okay to keep going and once he gets that, the Alpha slides another inch into Scott.

Then another.

Then another.

And another, until he’s bottoming out.

“Isaac.” Scott’s voice is breathless and he has one hand on the Alpha’s hip, the other pressed against the shower wall. His fingertips are digging into both the tile and Isaac’s flesh, nails scraping along the latter.

“Yeah?” The word comes out soft and Isaac kisses the side of Scott’s head, smiling against his temple. “You feel _so good_ , Scott. So fucking tight and perfect and all  _mine_.”

Scott gasps and nods, screwing his eyes shut as he whispers, “M’yours.”

That has Isaac’s wolf stirring even more and a voice in the back of his mind tells him to start claiming the human as his. He obeys, but goes slowly, not wanting to hurt Scott in any way.

The first couple of thrusts make Scott whimper in pain and Isaac presses his forehead between the other’s shoulder blades, breathing hard against his skin. When Scott tells him that he’s okay, Isaac starts moving again, sliding the entire length of his cock out before thrusting back in slowly.

Eventually, he works up to a steady rhythm that doesn’t hurt Scott and that has Isaac’s wolf purring in satisfaction. He even turns the shower head back on them and watches water slide down Scott’s tanned skin, going along every dip.

“Fuck me harder,” Scott says, suddenly, and Isaac growls in response.

With his eyes flashing red and his hands wrapped tightly around Scott’s hips, Isaac starts fucking the human harder. His hips snap against the other’s and they make a wet slapping noise whenever the connect.

It’s never been this good, Isaac thinks, and Stiles has never been able to make him this happy. He can remember feeling half as good as he does now with the father of his child but nothing can compare to the way Scott makes him feel.

Isaac is happy. He’s over-the-moon happy and he wants nothing more than to stay in that shower all day with his cock buried inside of Scott. He wants to hear the human say his name over and over, wants to watch his length disappear into Scott, and wants to make him come.

And, fuck, Isaac is already in love with Scott. They haven’t known each other very long but werewolves don’t operate like humans. They don’t wait months - or even years - to fall in love with someone; sometimes it’s instant and they just know from the moment they meet somebody.

But sometimes all it takes is having sex one time. That’s when their wolves realize that the human (or other wolf) is perfect for them and the mating process starts. It’s kind of like falling in love except it happens a lot faster and it’s instinctual, something that can’t be broken.

“Scott,” Isaac breathes against the human’s neck, “fuck, Scott. You — you feel fucking…..  _fucking amazing_  around me.”

A laugh escapes Scott’s throat and he nods. “You feel good too, Isaac,” he whimpers and pushes back against the Alpha. “I wanna — I’m gonna come soon, Isaac, please. Please make me come.”

Hearing that makes Isaac growl and he snaps his hips forward a little harder than before, fucking Scott roughly. He slips a hand down and gets his fingers around the base of Scott’s cock, stroking him in time with his thrusts, the water acting as lubricant and making his hand slide up and down quickly.

The smell in the room makes Isaac feel lightheaded. Scott’s scent is all over the bathroom, along with his own, and he can smell the human’s arousal, can smell it getting stronger. He keeps fucking into him harder and harder, his breath falling against Scott’s skin in harsh pants.

And he’s so close. Isaac can feel the heat in his stomach coil tighter but he holds off, waits until Scott comes first. Which isn’t going to be long, from the way the human is bucking back against him and moaning his name, his cock throbbing in Isaac’s hand.

“Come on,” Isaac growls, right next to Scott’s ear so he can hear him over the sound of the water. “Don’t you wanna come with my cock inside of you, Scott? Just like a bitch, remember?”

Scott whimpers and his muscles tighten around Isaac’s cock.

“You’re my bitch, Scott,” the Alpha continues, purring against Scott’s ear before licking along the shell, biting the cartilage. “My perfect, beautiful, amazing bitch.”

As he speaks, Isaac angles his hips and thrusts into Scott once more, dragging his cock out slowly. When it’s out halfway, he slams back in and squeezes the human’s cock before stroking him again, faster.

“Isaac!” Scott shouts, one of his hands moving to the back of the Alpha’s head and the other going to his forearm. He comes with another shout and grunts, his hips stuttering forward as his orgasm rocks his body.

While Scott comes, Isaac fucks and strokes him through it, murmuring soft praises against his skin before biting down on it. He doesn’t bite hard enough to turn him, just enough to break the skin, and he sucks on the mark, his moans vibrating against Scott’s shoulder.

Isaac thrusts into the human a few more times before his own orgasm rips through him and he howls quietly, his hands tightening around Scott’s hips, holding him in place. He moves his own hips slightly as he comes down, filling the human up without a second thought or without worrying about what may happen.

“Scott,” he breathes, pressing a kiss to the back of the human’s head, chuckling when he gets a quiet groan in response. “You okay?”

Scott hums and nods his head, laughing. “I’m okay,” he rasps and then clears his throat, whimpering when Isaac pulls out of him. “Fuck, I may not walk for a few days — but I’m alright.”

That makes Isaac laugh again and he shakes his head, grabbing the body wash before pouring some into his palm. He keeps Scott against the shower wall and rubs his hands together, moving them along the human’s body, washing every inch of him.

Once he’s done, the Alpha grabs the shower head and starts rinsing Scott’s skin off, watching the bubbles go down the drain, some of them tinged pink from the bite on his shoulder. Isaac returns the shower head back to it’s place and kisses the spot he bit, murmuring an apology against it.

“It’s okay,” Scott sighs and turns around, smiling at Isaac. He leans up to kiss the Alpha and grabs the body wash, pouring some into his own hands. When he eases away, the human licks his lips and starts washing Isaac’s body, his hands moving along the Alpha’s skin gracefully.

Scott hums and brushes his fingers along Isaac’s tattoos as he touches them, a grin spreading across his face. He grabs the shower head and rinses the Alpha off slowly, their eyes locked together.

“We should get out,” Isaac sighs and turns the water off, running his hands along Scott’s sides. “And I should probably get going. If you’re going to come over for dinner tonight, I need to go to the store.”

Frowning, Scott looks up at Isaac and chews his lip. “You’re sure it’s okay for me to come over tonight? Stiles won’t, like, be mad?”

“I don’t think so.”

“Mmm… okay.” Scott smiles and kisses the corner of Isaac’s mouth before stepping out of the shower. “Do you want me to bring anything?”

Isaac steps out behind Scott and purses his lips in thought. “I don’t think so. Maybe something for dessert? Annabel likes cupcakes and cookies, but you already knew that.”

“I’ll bake her some cookies.” 

“God, you’re perfect.” Grinning, Isaac leans down and kisses Scott, tugging on his lower lip before letting go.

They wrap themselves up in towels and Isaac grabs their clothes before following Scott to his bedroom. He watches the human dry himself off and whistles, smacking Scott’s ass once before following suit, grinning the whole time.

Once he’s dressed and ready to go, Isaac walks downstairs with Scott on his heels and they lean against the door, kissing for a moment. The Alpha eventually pulls back and brushes his nose against Scott’s, playfully snapping his teeth at him.

“I’ll see you tonight at seven,” Isaac reminds him and smiles before leaving the house, feeling happier than he has in a long time.

Before pulling out of the driveway, Isaac looks up at where Scott is standing on the porch, leaning against the rail and smiling. He smiles back, waves, and pulls out onto the road before driving toward the apartment.

*****

Isaac gets home and calls the garage to make sure Erica and Boyd didn’t burn the place down. Then he calls Stiles and makes sure it’s okay with him that Scott is coming over that night and, once he has the okay, the Alpha goes to the store.

The whole time, all he can think about is Scott and what happened in the shower that morning. He knows that it’s just a matter of time before he tells the human that he loves him and Isaac’s heart thumps whenever he thinks about that. 

It’s been a while since Isaac’s told anyone besides Annabel that he loves them and he starts to panic. Soon, though, Stiles comes home with their daughter and Isaac has something to distract him from the panic he can feel building in his chest. He and Stiles work on making dinner while Annabel plays in the other room...

And even with his family around, the _only thing_ on Isaac’s mind is Scott.


	6. Chapter 6

**[Stiles' POV] [the same day]**

When Stiles wakes up the next morning, he expects things to be worse than they were before. He stays in bed as long as he can, moving his hands along the sheet beside him, the place where Isaac normally sleeps. It’s strange, he thinks, that the two of them hadn’t slept together the night before but he knows that it’s for a good reason.

Stiles eventually gets out of bed to find Isaac in the kitchen with Annabel, the two of them making breakfast. He tries to be quiet, sneaking into the living room to grab his scrub top where he laid it the night before, but with a houseful of werewolves, being sneaky is damn near impossible.

Annabel is the first one to greet him; her tiny arms wrap around one of his legs and she tells him good morning, letting him know that they’re making eggs. Isaac comes in after her, scooping their daughter up before leaning down to kiss Stiles’ cheek. 

From there, things only get better and Stiles is happy to be around his family, the very one he wanted from day one. The one that he so desperately hopes he can have with Jackson, especially now that he’s gotten the okay to be with him.

They take Annabel to daycare and talk on the way to the hospital, the topics of conversation ranging from Jackson to Scott to what they should have for dinner that evening.

When they finally get to the hospital, Stiles says goodbye to Isaac and climbs out of the car, walking into the building slowly. As soon as he’s through the doors, he goes to the second level and straight to Jackson’s office, knocking on the door.

“Come in, Stiles.” 

Stiles grins and walks into the office, locking the door behind him before moving over to the desk where Jackson is sitting. “Good morning,” he says and takes his messenger bag off, laying it on one of the chairs.

“Morning,” Jackson replies, looking up from the paperwork he’d been working on and he smiles, causing Stiles’ heart to jump. “Why are you in such a good mood?”

“I had a talk with Isaac…”

“Uh-huh..”

“And,” Stiles sighs, moving around the desk and plopping himself down on Jackson’s lap, kissing him gently. “We talked about our relationship and he knows about you.”

Jackson quirks a brow and nods, his hands coming down to hold Stiles’ hips, squeezing them gently. “I knew he was your Alpha,” he mumbles.

“Yeah… and he’s okay with us being together. So, Dr. Jackson Noah Whittemore, I would  _love_  to be finally your mate.”

“Officially?”

A laugh escapes Stiles’ lips and he leans down, kissing Jackson gently, pulling back a little to whisper, “Officially.”

Without another word, Jackson lifts his hands and cups Stiles’ face in his palms, holding him still as he presses their lip together. The second the werewolf’s tongue presses against his lower lip, Stiles shivers and gasps, opening his mouth in silent invitation.

They kiss for a moment longer, Stiles’ fingers tangling in Jackson’s hair, messing it up just a little but he knows that the Alpha won’t care. He laughs when Jackson bites his lower lip and pulls his head back, brushing their noses together before sitting back.

Someone knocks on the door and calls out for Jackson.

“Coming,” he answers and sighs, pecking Stiles’ lips one more time. “I’ll see you later, okay? Maybe we’ll come back here and have lunch..”

“Food or sex?” Stiles asks, quirking a brow. He laughs when Jackson growls and flashes his eyes, nipping at his jaw lightly. “Right, food  _and_  sex, got it.”

Jackson rolls his eyes and lifts Stiles off his lap, sitting him on the edge of the desk. “I’ll get something I can easily eat off of you,” he murmurs and stands, going to grab his coat from the rack on the wall.

Humming, Stiles watches him and squeaks when Jackson kisses him one last time before moving out into the hall. He blushes, giving himself a moment to calm down and to let his heartbeat return to normal.

As soon as he’s okay and is sure his face isn’t red, Stiles gets off the desk and grabs his bag, slinging it over his shoulder before heading outside. He goes to the nurses’ station and says hello to Melissa on his way to his seat, sighing as he drops his things down.

“Morning, Stiles,” she says and smiles at him, her eyes twinkling in the light. 

“Morning,” he answers and smiles back. “What do we have for today?”

Melissa hands him a stack of files and points to the top one. “A beta came in with a nasty leg wound. We got the bullets — there were three — out and he’s stable now. Just needs someone to administer the wolfsbane to the leg and he’ll be out of here in a few hours.”

“Awesome.” Stiles grins and grabs his stethoscope from his bag, hanging it around his neck. He goes to leave the station, stopping only when he feels a hand on his arm. “Hmm?”

“Your Alpha — Isaac — is wonderful,” Melissa says.

Blinking, Stiles nods his head and smiles. “I know,” he says, “and thank you. How do you know him, if I may ask?”

“Oh, he’s been seeing my son, Scott.”

“Wow, what a small world.” 

A soft smile spreads across Melissa’s face and she nods. “I’m sorry if that makes things awkward for you,” she murmurs.

“Oh, what? No! It’s not awkward at all.” Stiles waves his free hand dismissively and laughs, shaking his head. “Isaac told me about him last night and I’m glad they have each other. Scott… seems like a good person and he obviously makes Isaac happy.”

Melissa merely smiles and nods once more before she gets called to the ER. She squeezes Stiles’ arm before bustling away, half running down the hallway before disappearing around the corner.

Once she’s gone, Stiles takes a deep breath and gets back to work, tending to wounds and stitching people up, keeping busy so he doesn’t think about anything.

*****

When lunchtime rolls around, the hospital is strangely quiet. All of the patients that came in that morning are stable and Stiles checks on them one last time before heading to Jackson’s office.

“Hey,” Jackson says, smiling at Stiles as he unbuttons his shirt. He peels it off and tosses it onto the floor with a heavy sigh.

Stiles smiles and licks his lips, locking the door once he shuts it. “Hey. If I didn’t know better, I’d say that you were getting ready for me,” he mumbles, winking at the werewolf as he comes forward.

“Oh, yeah. It wasn’t because there was blood on my shirt and it stunk of wolfsbane.” The Alpha grins and motions for Stiles to come around the desk, to which he quickly obeys.

“Why, Alpha Whittemore, I do believe you’re flirting with me.”

Jackson laughs and pulls Stiles onto his lap, settling him so they’re sitting face to face. His hands move along the human’s body and Stiles tips his head back, sighing when he feels rough fingers slide across the small of his back.

“Don’t I always flirt with you?” Jackson breathes, his lips against Stiles’ pulse and teeth grazing along the skin just above it. 

A shiver runs through Stiles and he mumbles, “Always.”

“Mmm..”

“Hey, Jax?” Stiles asks, breathless. When the Alpha hums, his hand splayed on the middle of the human’s back, he shivers again. “I’m really glad that we’re together.”

No response comes from Jackson; he just kisses his way up the side of Stiles’ neck and sucks on his earlobe. A strangled noise leaves the human’s throat and he rocks down against Jackson, both hands moving to the back of his head, fingers tangling in his hair.

In the blink of an eye, Stiles goes from sitting on Jackson’s lap to being spread on the desk. He can feel how hard the Alpha is, their hips pressed tightly together, and he whimpers.

“I want another baby,” he says and the words hang in the air, weighing down on both of them. Stiles knows that he shouldn’t have said it and he shouldn’t even be considering having a baby with Jackson now — but it’s what he really wants. “Jackson?”

Jackson swallows and presses his forehead against Stiles’. “Do you think it’s a good idea for us to have a baby when you  _just_  broke up with Isaac?”

“Probably not.” Stiles shrugs his shoulders and cards his fingers through the Alpha’s hair slowly, smiling up at him. “But it’s what I want. You’re good with Annabel and I want that for us. A baby with your hair and freckles, my eyes…”

“ _Stiles_ …”

“No, listen to me.” Huffing, Stiles wraps his arms around Jackson’s neck and holds onto him to keep him still, though he knows that if the wolf really wanted to, he could get away easily. “Isaac is probably going to mate with Scott as soon as possible and I think we should have the same right to do that,” he mumbles, his fingers on the nape of Jackson’s neck.

The way Jackson looks at him makes Stiles’ heart fall into the pit of his stomach and he shakes his head, leaning down to catch the human’s mouth in a biting kiss. He growls against his lips an Stiles shudders, arching his back as he presses his hips against Jackson’s, needing to show him how badly he wants him, wants  _this_.

When the pull back, Stiles squeaks as Jackson pulls him into a sitting position and tugs his scrub top off, throwing it somewhere in the corner of the room. He blushes and moves his hands down, gripping the hem of the tank top covering Jackson’s torso, lifting it before pulling the fabric off, throwing it to the floor.

And even though they’ve done this a bunch of times, Stiles can’t get over the way Jackson looks shirtless. Can’t stop himself from moving his fingers along the planes of his stomach, over the abs he could spend hours licking and touching, and he whimpers.

“You sure you want this?” Jackson’s voice is soft and breathless, lips hovering over Stiles’ as he goes to untie his scrub bottoms.

Stiles nods his head and closes his eyes, rubbing his nose against the Alpha’s as he smiles broadly. “I want this,” he whispers,  his own hands going down to undo Jackson’s slacks.

Their clothes get torn off and thrown away until they’re both naked, both hard and panting. Jackson kisses Stiles until he’s breathless and his lungs are burning but he begs for more, begs for Jackson to fuck him.

And Stiles knows that all the wolves in the hospital can hear them, can  _smell_  what’s going on in that room, and a thrill shoots through him. It’s the first time they’ve messed around at work and, god, Stiles is trembling with excitement and anticipation.

Jackson foregoes any foreplay and opens a drawer on his desk, taking out a bottle of lube Stiles stashed there before (“just in case,” he had said, winking at Jackson as he dropped the bottle into the drawer). They hadn’t needed it before but now Stiles is glad he put it there, glad that he predicted that sometime in the future they would fuck in Jackson’s office.

“ _Jackson_ ,” Stiles breathes, spreading his legs and bending his knees, his heels pressed against the edge of the desk. He’s spread for Jackson, panting and hard and  _waiting_ , his chest and neck flushed.

After a moment, Jackson slicks his fingers up and slips two inside of Stiles easily, getting them to the last knuckle. They start to slide in and out, separating and opening him up, and Stiles tips his head back on a moan.

The world gets forgotten; it’s just Stiles and Jackson in that room, in the entire building, and that’s enough for him. It’s more than enough to make Stiles shiver, to beg for another finger and another until Jackson’s got four inside of him.

It’s a burn, a stretch that Stiles hasn’t felt before, and he whimpers, fucking himself down on Jackson’s fingers. “Please,” he begs and takes a moment to breathe, to swallow hard and lick his lips before repeating the word quietly.

“Okay.” Jackson laughs and pulls his fingers out of Stiles, slicking them up one more time before stroking his shaft slowly. He wipes any excess lube on Stiles’ entrance and grips the base of his cock, pressing the head against the human, sinking in with a grunt.

Jackson goes slow, like he always does, and Stiles is thankful for that; thankful for  _him_. Everyone says that Jackson is an asshole but he hasn’t been anything but wonderful to Stiles and Annabel. Maybe it’s because they’re mates or maybe it’s because Stiles doesn’t deal with his bullshit and made sure to tell Jackson that the first time they went out. 

Maybe it’s both. Either way, Stiles is head over heels in love with the Alpha and wouldn’t change anything about him. He’s perfect the way he is and Stiles is more than happy to spend the rest of his life with Jackson.

Once Jackson’s cock is buried in him, Stiles moans and lays back on the desk, his hands wrapped around the Alpha’s sides. He holds on and lifts his legs, hooking both of them around Jackson’s waist, holding him in place.

“Fuck,” Jackson breathes as he starts to move. His hands slide down the length of Stiles’ thighs and back up, gripping his hips hard enough to bruise.

The thrusts go from slow to fast in no time. Stiles tilts his head back and screws his eyes shut, moaning Jackson’s name quietly, though he knows that he doesn’t have to be quiet. If anyone is paying attention, they’ve already heard what’s going on, and it’s not like they won’t figure it out later when Stiles leaves the room smelling like come.

Stiles’ nails dig into Jackson’s skin as the thrusts get harder and soon the Alpha is slamming into him, growling nonsense. He can feel Jackson’s teeth against his neck when he leans down, can feel sweat pouring off both of their bodies, and he wants the Alpha to come.

From the moment they met up until now, Stiles and Jackson have always been careful. They’ve used condoms and other forms of birth control to ensure that Stiles wouldn’t get pregnant until after Isaac found out.

But now there’s nothing stopping them. No condom in the way, no birth control pills suppressing his hormones, nothing. And Stiles feels high, dizzy, and lightheaded when he imagines being pregnant with Jackson’s baby.

“Jackson,” he breathes, his voice raw and rough, “come for me. Wanna — wanna get pregnant, c’mon.”

The Alpha growls against his neck, the sound vibrating and sending a shiver down Stiles’ spine. He can tell that Jackson’s close to coming by the way he thrusts — erratically, without much rhythm. 

“Please,” Stiles begs and he keeps talking even after Jackson puts a hand on his throat. It’s not to hurt him, just something that he’s done a few times, and Stiles honestly loves it. “Come on, Jackson. Knock your bitch up, show everyone who I belong to now.”

It takes Jackson a few more thrusts before he comes. He growls, throwing his head back as he continues to fuck Stiles, though his thrusts slow down considerably. 

As soon as he’s done coming, Jackson pulls out and goes down, taking Stiles’ cock into his mouth. He deepthroats it, humming around the shaft until the human is a writhing, moaning mess above him.

Stiles’ hands go to Jackson’s hair and he grips it tightly, fucking up into his mouth before coming hard, with a loud grunt and a sharp gasp. He trembles against the desk and arches slightly, feeling Jackson suck around his cock.

“Fuck, Jackson…”

“Hmm?” Jackson hums as he pulls off, licking every last bit of come off of Stiles’ skin before going up to kiss him. “I love you,” he whispers.

When he hears those words, Stiles blushes and his heart beats wildly behind his ribs, his fingers shaking as he moves them along Jackson’s jaw slowly. “I love you too,” he replies.

They break apart when someone knocks on the door, letting Jackson know that he’s needed in the ER immediately. The Alpha scrambles to pull his clothes on and helps Stiles into his, kissing him one last time before bolting out of the room.

And Stiles watches him, feeling completely sated. He stands on shaky legs and makes his way back to the nurses’ station, where he does paperwork for a while. 

Stiles’ phone rings not long after and he answers, hearing Isaac’s voice on the other line — which makes his heart drop. He talks to the Alpha for a while and is surprised when Isaac asks if Scott can come over for dinner that evening.

Of course, he says yes immediately and puts his phone away, chewing on his lower lip for a while, thinking. Eventually Stiles gets up and goes to find Jackson in the ER, tending to a wound on a pregnant woman’s arm.

“Hey, Jackson?” Stiles asks, going over to assist him, smiling at the woman when she looks at him. “I need to talk to you when you’re done here,” he says, never taking his eyes off the woman on the gurney. 

Jackson hums in agreement and continues to stitch the cut while Stiles talks to the woman about her pregnancy. It takes fifteen minutes for the stitching to be done and Jackson discharges the woman with a round of antibiotics and after-care instructions.

Once that’s done, the two head to Jackson’s office again and Stiles hovers by the door, nervously chewing on his lower lip.

“Do you want to come over for dinner tonight?”

“What?” Jackson blinks, looking up at Stiles. “Um… do you think that’s a good idea? With Isaac and everything, I mean.”

Stiles shrugs and smiles. “Well, his boyfriend is coming to dinner and I don’t see why I can’t invite you,” he mumbles.

A long, long moment passes before Jackson agrees. He smiles and laughs when Stiles kisses him, returning it before the human tells him what time to come over.

For the next few hours, Stiles works hard and is exhausted by the time he gets off work, walking to the daycare to pick Annabel up. They catch a bus home and come in just as Isaac is starting to make dinner.

Stiles puts Annabel in her room and goes to change before helping the Alpha in the kitchen, neither of them talking for the longest time. The human can tell that Isaac is distracted and knows that this is a big night for all of them, so he decides to tell Isaac about Jackson coming over.

“Jackson’s going to stop by tonight,” he says as he’s cutting a bell pepper, tossing it into a Ziploc bag, looking up at Isaac.

“That’s fine,” Isaac replies without even looking at him and Stiles breathes a sigh of relief, though he’s worried about meeting Scott and Isaac meeting Jackson.


	7. Chapter 7

“Is Scott old enough to drink?” Stiles asks and Isaac has to stop chopping the onion he was working on, his eyebrows pinched together. He nods his head though he’s unsure and goes back to cutting, dicing the vegetable before throwing it into the pain on the stove. “You sure?”

Isaac laughs and nods. “Pretty sure,” he mumbles, finishing with the onion before wiping his hands on his apron. “Is  _Jackson_  old enough to drink?”

“He’s a doctor, so..”

“Right.” Isaac nods curtly, his lips pursed together. “So exactly how old is he? Obviously he’s not twenty-two like you,” he says, teasingly.

“Jackson’s only a few years older.”

“Thirty?”

Snorting, Stiles smacks Isaac’s shoulder lightly and rolls his eyes. “No, he isn’t  _that_  old,” he says and sighs heavily. “Twenty-five.”

“Huh.”

“What?” Stiles blinks, putting his hands on his hips. When Isaac shakes his head, the human huffs and goes back to what he was doing. The two of them stay quiet for a while longer, assembling the lasagna they’d been working on.

It isn’t until Annabel comes in that they speak to each other.

“Hey, Is? Can you go get a bow from the bathroom?”

Isaac nods and mumbles a quiet ‘yeah okay’ under his breath before going through the apartment. He flips the bathroom light on and picks out a bow — pink, one of Anna’s favourites — and comes back into the kitchen where Stiles has her sitting on the counter.

“Here,” the Alpha says, bringing the hair bow over. Annabel squeals when she sees which one it is and pats Stiles’ cheek. Isaac can’t help but smile and he sighs, going over to the fridge to grab a beer. “Has Jackson ever been around Anna?”

“Not… like that. I took her to the hospital once to see the nurses and he came up to her. Gave her a lollipop and said she was the cutest little wolf he’d ever seen.” Stiles laughs and looks at Isaac over his shoulder. “Then they had a mini howling contest,” he finishes.

The thought of another wolf being around his daughter — especially when said wolf is dating his ex mate — makes Isaac’s stomach churn. He swallows hard, grabbing one of the long necks from the shelf, and shuts the fridge, leaning against it.

A few minutes pass and the only noise that fills the kitchen is Annabel’s squeals of delight whenever Stiles tickles her. She eventually starts talking, babbling on about things a two-year old would normally babble on about, and Isaac is saved when the doorbell rings.

“Not wolf,” Annabel says, letting Isaac know it’s Scott.

With his heart pounding behind his ribs, Isaac goes to answer the door and smiles brightly when he sees Scott. “Hey,” he says and leans down to kiss him, which makes Annabel giggle.

“Was that your daughter?” Scott asks when they ease apart and Isaac nods his head, motioning for the human to come inside. He’s dressed in what the Alpha would call a semi-formal outfit: a dark blue button up shirt (with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows), with a tank top underneath, and black jeans; he’s even wearing boots, instead of skate shoes.

“You look good.” Isaac puts a hand on the small of Scott’s back and leads him into the kitchen, motioning to Annabel and Stiles. “Stiles, this is Scott — Scott, this is Stiles and you already know our daughter, Annabel.”

Scott smiles and nods, wiggling the fingers of his free hand at Annabel, who returns the gesture with a loud giggle. “It’s nice to meet you,” he says and holds up the bakery box in his hand. “I brought cookies. Not homemade, sorry, but… they’re good.”

“Thanks.” Stiles picks Annabel off the counter and settles her on his hip, pointing to Scott. “Can you say hi, Anna?”

“Hi!” Anna says, kicking her legs as she wraps her arms around Stiles’ neck, her hand pressed against the side of it. “Cookies?”

A laugh bubbles up from Isaac’s throat and he nods. “Yeah, baby, cookies — but you can’t have them until after dinner, okay?”

“Why?” The little girl asks, frowning.

“Because,” Stiles sighs, hitching her higher on his side, “you don’t want to ruin your dinner, do you?”

Annabel looks up at her father and nods her head. “Yes. Want cookies,” she says and the three adults laugh, which makes her giggle like they just said something hilarious.

The atmosphere in the room is tense and Isaac takes the box from Scott, moving over to the counter to set it down. He goes to the fridge and grabs two more beers, handing one of them to Scott with a smile.

“Thanks,” the human says, twisting the cap off before taking a long sip, his lips sealing around the top. They make a quiet sucking noise when he pulls the glass away and Annabel giggles, causing Scott to smile. He sets his beer down and walks over, tickling her stomach. “Was that funny, huh?”

And Isaac can tell that Stiles is uncomfortable and he comes over, putting a hand on his back. “It’s okay,” he mumbles, nuzzling the top of his head while Scott tickles their daughter, who is gasping and squealing at the top of her lungs.

“I know,” is all Stiles says before handing Annabel to Scott. She goes willingly and wraps her arms around the man’s neck, nuzzling him to get his smell.

Scott looks at Isaac with wide eyes and rubs Annabel’s back slowly. “I’m glad she seems to like me,” he says and Isaac grins.

“Just watch out for biting,” he says.

“Bitin’.” Annabel pulls back and snaps her teeth, then growls quietly. While her growls are impressive, they’re still not as intimidating as her father’s, and Scott just laughs, trying to growl back. “Not wolfy,” she says and pats his cheek comfortingly.

“Did she just tell me I’m not a good wolf?”

Stiles laughs and nods. “Yep,” he says and excuses himself, leaving the kitchen before going down the hall, disappearing into their bedroom.

When it’s just the two of them, Isaac comes up and wraps his arms around Scott, keeping Annabel between them. “You’re worried,” he mumbles, raising his eyebrows when Scott denies it quietly. “I can smell it on you. What’s wrong?”

“Just…” Sighing, Scott shifts Annabel onto his hip, smiling softly when she starts playing with the collar of his shirt. “Did I do something wrong? Like, Stiles isn’t upset that I’m here?”

“No, I don’t think so. Jackson’s coming over — remember I told you about him? — and I think he’s just nervous.”

The room calms down a little and Isaac kisses Scott gently, grinning when Annabel demands a kiss. He pecks her cheek, then her nose, and brushes his own against her forehead. 

“Daddy, wolf.”

Isaac pulls his eyebrows together and looks at Annabel for a moment, trying to figure out why she would say that, before the bell rings. He sighs and pats her back lightly before going to open the door.

This is the moment Isaac has been both dreading and looking forward to and he’s not sure he’ll be able to make it through dinner with Jackson. Then he remembers that Scott and Annabel are there to keep him anchored and he takes a deep breath, opening the door.

And there’s Jackson Whittemore, standing in the threshold wearing a casual outfit that… doesn’t look quite right on him. He’s got a single flower in his hand and a bottle of wine tucked underneath his arm.

“Alpha Whittemore,” Isaac greets, nodding his head toward the other wolf.

Jackson nods his head and looks Isaac in the eye. “Alpha Lahey,” he mumbles in greeting and grabs the bottle of wine, holding it out for Isaac to take. “I didn’t know what else to bring.”

“Wine is more than okay.” Taking the bottle, Isaac steps back and lets the other Alpha inside, trying not to think how his house is going to smell like him. Instead, he reminds himself that the apartment will smell like Scott and smiles.

By the time Isaac shuts the door, he can hear Stiles coming down the hallway and he gives him a moment to say hello to Jackson. While he does that, the Alpha goes into the kitchen where Scott is sitting at the table with Annabel on his lap, playing peekaboo with her.

“She’s not too old for this, is she?” Scott asks with his hands over his eyes and then he brings them away, smiling when Annabel laughs.

Isaac shakes his head and grins, putting the wine in the fridge. “I think that answered your question. She’s two, Scott, she’ll play just about anything,” he says and goes to sit in the chair beside Scott.

“Jackson here?” Isaac nods and sighs. “You look stressed out. I would help but there’s currently a cute girl on my lap and she needs my attention.” 

That makes the Alpha laugh and he leans over, kissing Scott, then pressing a kiss to Annabel’s head. He pulls back, watching Stiles and Jackson in the living room, trying to tamp his jealousy down.

It wouldn’t be so bad, he thinks, if he and Stiles didn’t live together and if they hadn’t slept together several times since Annabel was born. He tries to think about how happy Scott makes him and how good their life will be together.

“Sorry about that.” Stiles’ cheeks are red when he comes into the kitchen and he ushers Jackson into one of the chairs, clearing his throat.

“S’okay,” Scott says in a distracted tone, tickling Annabel’s stomach lightly and grinning when she giggles.

Jackson clears his throat next and looks at Scott. “And you are — ?”

“My new mate,” Isaac answers, eyes glowing red as he stares Jackson down, giving him a silent warning. The other Alpha flicks his gaze across the table and nods at Isaac. “Scott, this is Jackson — Jackson this is my new mate, Scott.”

That gets Scott’s attention and he blinks, looking up at the other Alpha, nodding his head slowly. “Yeah. Hey, I’ve seen you at the hospital before, haven’t I?”

“Um.” Jackson shrugs and laughs. “Probably, I work there.”

“Yeah, my mom does too. Melissa McCall?” Alpha Whittemore purses his lips together in thought and laughs again, more genuinely this time, and nods, saying he knows her. “She’s awesome,” Scott says, beaming with pride as he turns to Stiles, who’s nodding his head.

Isaac rubs his hands together and gets up, letting the three other men talk among themselves. He grabs a loaf of bread and scratches one of the paw prints on his forearm, sighing quietly. The others are talking about the hospital and Scott’s mother, talking about how good of a nurse she is, and Isaac can’t help but smile.

While the conversation goes on, the Alpha cuts the bread and puts it on a baking sheet, humming to himself. Working distracts and calms him, keeps him from doing something stupid when, really, he doesn’t want to do anything. He’s happy for Stiles and Jackson and knows that the more time he spends with the two of them, the more okay with it he’ll be.

Eventually Scott hands Annabel over to Stiles and comes up behind Isaac, wrapping both arms around his waist, whispering, “Need help?”

“I’m almost done but thanks for the offer.” Isaac smiles and looks over his shoulder at Scott, leaning in to kiss him. He goes back to the bread, putting cheese on it before slipping it into the oven. 

“That smells good,” Jackson says and Isaac blinks, turning to look at him as he grabs a few potholders. “Did you make it?”

For a moment, Isaac is convinced that Jackson is just sucking up to him because he stole his mate but he pushes that thought away. He nods and points to Stiles with a grin, saying, “Stiles helped.”

“Oh, please. I just made the sauce.” As he speaks, Stiles blushes and Isaac laughs, grinning more as he shakes his head, taking the lasagna out. “Lasagna is Isaac’s specialty,” the human hums.

Isaac rolls his eyes and shuts the oven with his knee. “It was my mother’s recipe, so I give her all the credit,” he adds, swallowing thickly.

“Well thank her for — ” Jackson starts but Isaac watches as Stiles puts a hand on his, shaking his head. It doesn’t take long for Alpha Whittemore to get it and he nods, his face somber. “I’m sorry.”

“Thanks.” That’s all Isaac says and he goes back to work, getting plates and cups and silverware, not wanting to think about his family. Scott helps him, too, and they set the table before going to get the drinks.

Soon the food is done and Annabel’s in her highchair, kicking her feet as Scott pours juice into her cup. She snatches it and drinks slowly, looking at the adults over the top.

When everyone has food on their plate, Isaac sits down and puts his hand on Scott’s knee, just needing to touch him so he doesn’t get riled up enough to shift in front of everyone. 

Jackson takes a bite and moans, “This is good.”

“That means a lot, thanks.” And, to Isaac’s surprise, he really means it. He knows how important it is for Stiles and Annabel that the two Alphas get along and he takes a bite of his own food, chewing. “So,” he says after swallowing, “when did you two… start seeing each other?”

It’s awkward for Isaac to talk about this but he needs to know when the two sitting across from him started dating. He needs to know that it wasn’t an immediate thing, that he didn’t drive Stiles away quickly, and he sucks down half of his beer to keep himself calm.

“It was about a year ago, right?” Jackson asks, turning to look at Stiles who shrugs his shoulders, tearing off a piece of bread before handing it to Annabel. “Yeah, a year ago. I had just come to Beacon Hills General and Stiles’ scent him me like a ton of bricks. He told me what was going on with you and…” The Alpha trails off, laughing nervously.

“Hey, it’s alright.” Isaac lifts his shoulders and drops them, pushing a piece of noodle across his plate. “I knew that something was going on but I didn’t want to bring it up. Not until I met Scott.”

At the mention of his name, Scott looks up and blinks. “What’d I do?”

Isaac laughs and squeezes his thigh. “Nothing. I was just telling Jackson that I didn’t want to say anything about his and Stiles’ relationship until I met you. Then I knew it was really over,” he says, looking over at Stiles who has his lip caught between his teeth and tears rimming his eyes.

“I’m okay,” he grumbles, shooting Isaac a look. “Just… it’s hard to talk about this, okay? I hate that our relationship fell apart and we were both driven to find someone new.”

Silence falls over the kitchen and Isaac coughs dryly. “I hate it, too, Stiles but I know that you’re better off with someone that will make you happy and Jackson obviously does that,” he says and smiles. “Plus, if I had to pick anyone for you to be with, it would be him. He seems like a good man and he can take care of you.”

“Really?” Stiles asks, his voice broken.

“Yeah.” The Alpha smiles and reaches over, taking Stiles’ hand. “I’m always going to love you in some shape or form but I’m well aware that what we had is gone — it has been for a while. So be with Jackson. Be happy and loved and mated to someone who can give you everything you want,” he whispers.

Jackson’s hand falls on top of Isaac’s and he smiles. “Thank you,” he says and sighs heavily, pulling his hand back to scrub his face. “I want Stiles to come live with me as soon as possible. You two can… figure out what happens with Annabel.”

“We’ll save that conversation for another time.” Isaac looks at Stiles, who gives him a small, grateful smile and they all go back to eating.

“So,” Stiles says eventually and sighs, leaning back, “Isaac says you’re an art student, Scott. That’s pretty awesome.”

The human nods and wipes his plate with a piece of bread. “Yeah, I’m a photographer but I can draw, paint, and I’m a musician, too.”

“Really?” Isaac says, pinching his eyebrows together. He should have known it, from how well Scott could sing, and he blushes when the human rolls his eyes as if to say ‘duh, you should have known’.

“Yeah. I can play guitar, drums, and the piano. Used to have a band a while back but the members kind of left to go to college.”

Isaac laughs and licks his lips. “Wow,” he whistles. “You’ll have to play something for me sometime.”

“And maybe you can teach Annabel how to play piano someday,” Jackson interjects and blinks when both Stiles and Isaac look at him. “What? Did I say something wrong?”

“No.” A laugh bubbles up from Stiles’ throat and he wraps his arms around Jackson’s neck, hugging him. “I think that’s a wonderful idea,” he says as he leans his head against the Alpha’s.

Scott bobs his head and grins, finishing his beer. “Yeah or maybe my mom can. She’s the one who taught me when I was, like, five,” he murmurs and pops the last piece of bread into his mouth.

The conversation from there is easy and surprisingly relaxing. They talk about each other’s talents and Scott taps out a beat on the table, which has all of them laughing; Annabel even joins in.

Dessert comes and they eat it in the living room. Annabel sits between Scott and Isaac, leaning against her father as she eats a cookie. All while they listen to Jackson talk about something that happened in the hospital and Stiles joins in.

It’s easy now, Isaac thinks, because he sees that Jackson isn’t a bad guy at all and he’s actually making an effort to be a part of the family. Scott is, too, and when Annabel starts to drift off to sleep, he offers to carry her into the bedroom.

Isaac follows and they both tuck her in. When the Alpha goes to get a book and starts to read, Annabel protests and tells them she wants Scott to read to her and Isaac’s heart thumps. But not in a bad way.

So, Scott reads two bedtime stories to Annabel and kisses her forehead, wishing her sweet dreams while Isaac watches. He wants to bring up the subject of having another kid, one with Scott, but keeps his mouth shut.

“She out?” Stiles asks when they return to the living room and Isaac nods, sighing heavily as he falls onto the couch. “Good. Now I won’t feel guilty if I leave for the night.”

The Alpha blinks and looks at Stiles. “You’re leaving?” Stiles nods his head and blushes, chewing on his lower lip — a nervous habit that they had both acquired a long time ago. “Ah, you’re going to Jackson’s,” Isaac mumbles and the two of them nod.

They sit around for another half an hour, talking about everything under the sun and Isaac learns that Jackson’s been working on a treatment for his uncle, whom he didn’t  _know_  was Isaac’s uncle until he spoke up.

“I’ve been working with a few labs to come up with a treatment that will heal the burns on his face. As for the mental scars… well, I’m not sure if those will ever be fixed,” Jackson murmurs.

To know that Jackson is not only a good guy but a good doctor — and one that’s hoping to fix his uncle’s burns along with other burn victims’ — makes Isaac feel good about having him around. He doesn’t have to worry about Stiles being treated badly because Jackson is a complete gentleman to him.

When they leave, Jackson puts Stiles’ jacket on and opens the door for him, waits until he’s out of the apartment before following him. Isaac just smiles the whole time and says goodbye to them, waving until they’ve disappeared.

“That wasn’t so bad,” Scott says from his spot on the couch and Isaac nods, shutting the door before joining the human. He lays against Scott and smirks when he complains, though he doesn’t make a move to push Isaac away.

“Do you want to spend the night?” The words are soft and Isaac speaks them against Scott’s throat, nuzzling him. He can hear the spike in his heartbeat and smiles, kissing his pulse lightly.

Scott takes a deep breath and swallows before answering, “Yeah.”

“Really?”

“Of course. Why wouldn’t I wanna stay with you?”

Instead of giving him an answer, Isaac kisses Scott slowly. He licks across his lips and pulls back, lifting the human off the couch. Scott doesn’t weigh much — but then again, Isaac is strong and barely notices the weight — so it’s easy to lift and carry him into the bedroom.

The door shuts behind them and their mouths come together once more, Isaac moaning into the kiss as he takes Scott to the bed. He lays the human down and hovers over him, pressing their bodies together but making sure to keep most of his weight off of Scott.


	8. Chapter 8

They kiss for a moment before Scott pulls back to say, “Should we…”

“Hmm?” Isaac hums, pulling back to look at the human under him, his eyebrows drawn together before Scott speaks up, saying that he doesn’t think it’s a good idea with Annabel in the next room. “We don’t have to,” the Alpha murmurs, brushing his thumb along Scott’s ribs.

“I just… she’s a werewolf, you know? She’ll hear us.” Scott frowns and threads his fingers through Isaac’s hair, breathing slowly.

Isaac chuckles and leans down, kissing the human’s lips softly. “It’s fine, Scott,” he whispers, pressing another chaste kiss to Scott’s lips. “We can just lay here and talk for a while, then go to sleep.”

When Scott nods his head and says that sounds like a good idea, Isaac pulls back and stands, taking his clothes off slowly, tossing them all to the side. He pulls his boxer briefs up when they slide down his hips and then helps Scott out of his clothes, throwing them onto the floor.

They arrange themselves on the bed, underneath the covers, so that Scott’s back is pressed against Isaac’s chest. The Alpha takes one of his hands, lacing their fingers together and brushing his thumb along the length of the human’s, sighing contentedly.

“I have a question,” Scott murmurs a few minutes later. Isaac hums, signaling for him to go on and ask. “Don’t make fun of me for asking this, okay? I — obviously Annabel is  _yours_  and  _Stiles’_. So…”

“He got pregnant,” Isaac answers before the question is even asked, smirking slightly when Scott sighs and says ‘ _crap_ ’ under his breath. “Do you know if you can?”

Scott squawks slightly and brings their hands to his chest. “Um… no? I mean, I’ve never gone to the doctor and said, ‘Hey, check to see if I can get pregnant’. It just never seemed important, you know?”

A few minutes tick by before Isaac speaks again.

“Do you…  _want_  to get pregnant some time? If you can, I mean.”

“I dunno, man.” Scott laughs, his body shaking with it, and he twists his head around to look at Isaac, kissing his chin. “I mean, Annabel is beautiful and I wouldn’t  _mind_  having a child with you…”

Humming quietly, Isaac closes his eyes and smiles. “We can get you checked sometime and if you can have children, we’ll discuss it. If not, we can talk about other options of having pups,” he whispers.

“ _Pups_?”

“Children.”

“Oh.” A tiny laugh falls from Scott’s lips, muffling against Isaac’s skin. “I thought you guys just called them, you know,  _babies_.”

Isaac laughs and shakes his head. “Some of us call them pups, others call them cubs, and some people do just call them babies. Everyone is different, I guess, and what word you use depends on  _who_  you’re talking to,” he explains.

They fall silent after that. Scott twists around completely and moved one of his hands up, carding it through Isaac’s hair. He smiles when the Alpha hums, the sound rumbling in his chest and vibrating against Scott’s, which makes him laugh.

“You’re like a giant puppy,” he breathes.

“ _Woof._ ” Isaac opens his eyes, irises flashing red as he grins.

Scott sucks in a sharp breath and shudders. “God,” he whispers and laughs shakily, “could you not do that?”

“Why? Does it turn you on when I do?” Scott doesn’t answer; doesn’t need to, really, because the blush on his cheeks is enough. “Oh so you  _don’t_  want me to…” Isaac trails off, his eyes flashing once more.

“ _Guh_!” Scott flops onto his back, covering his face. “You’re making it  _extremely hard_  for me to be good right now,” he mumbles against his palms.

A grin spreads across Isaac’s face and he moves so he’s straddling Scott’s hips, running both hands down his torso. “We don’t have to fuck, you know,” he murmurs, fingers stroking along Scott’s skin.

“What are you suggesting?”

Instead of answering, Isaac moves his hand down and cups the front of Scott’s boxer briefs, palming him through the thin fabric. The human is already half-hard, which makes Isaac grin, and it doesn’t take long for his cock to harden completely.

By that time, Scott is breathing hard and bucking his hips up. “Mmm, this - ah - is your idea, a hand job?”

“Or I could blow you.” Isaac shrugs, like it’s nothing, as he curls his fingers underneath the waistband of Scott’s underwear, tugging them down just enough to get his cock free.

The second the fabric is around Scott’s thighs, Isaac takes his cock in hand and starts stroking slowly, brushing his thumb along the head. The noise that pulls from the human’s throat makes him hum and he grinds his hips down against Scott’s thigh, breathing hard.

“You’re gonna get off on this, aren’t you?” Scott asks breathlessly, grinning up at Isaac as he brings both hands down, wrapping them around his hips. He squeezes and lifts his own when Isaac starts stroking his cock harder, moaning. “Oh,  _fuck_ ,” he whimpers.

Isaac grins and moves away, going to open the drawer of the nightstand, rummaging around until he brings a bottle of lube out. He pops the top quickly, pours some onto his palm, and starts stroking Scott again, his hand gliding easily now.

The body underneath him arches off the bed and Scott’s eyes flutter shut as he continues moving his hips slightly, breathing hard. He looks so gorgeous under Isaac, all lean muscle and tanned, smooth skin with patches of hair here and there. A line of it goes from Scott’s navel to just above his cock, where a smattering of dark hair lies.

How Isaac got lucky enough to have someone as gorgeous and amazing as Scott, he’ll never know, but he’s glad he did it. Scott is just like Stiles in almost every way, except for the fact that Isaac  _knows_ they’re going to be together for a while.

“Scott,” Isaac breathes, squeezing the human’s cock. “You’re gorgeous.”

A laugh falls from Scott’s lips and he licks them before mumbling, “ _Me_? I don’t —  _mmm_  — know about that…”

“All spread out like this under me, bucking your hips so eagerly.” Isaac’s voice grows rougher and lower as he speeds his hand up, wanting to make Scott come quickly. “I should claim you again, right here in my bed. Do you want that, Scott?”

“Fuck…”

“Me fucking you as hard as I can, putting a hand over your mouth to keep you quiet so you don’t wake Anna up,” Isaac continues, humming as he moves his free hand along Scott’s stomach. He drops it down, cupping the human’s balls in his palm, rubbing them slowly. “Biting and sucking and  _marking you_ until you’re covered in bruises. Everyone will know you belong to me then.”

Scott bucks his hips, gasping. “Isaac..”

“Yeah, come on. You know you want to come for me and put your scent all over the bed.”

“I’m…” Scott trails off, sucking in a sharp breath, moaning as he exhales.

Isaac grins and leans down, flicking his tongue against one of Scott’s nipples, sealing his lips around it. He bit and sucked gently, his hand sliding up and down the human’s cock quickly, slipping off a few times because it was so slippery.

A few minutes later, Scott is arching off the bed and bucking his hips forward, his hands shoved into Isaac’s hair. He moans quietly, a litany of curse words falling from his lips in soft sighs, and when he gets too loud, Isaac kisses him roughly.

“Come for me,” Isaac growls in between kisses.

The words, combined with Isaac’s expert hand stroking and twisting and tugging at Scott’s cock is enough for him to come. He moans against the Alpha’s mouth, the noise vibrating against his lips, causing him to hum in contentment.

Scott’s hips buck forward and he comes on Isaac’s stomach, chest, and all over his hand, falling back onto the bed when he’s spent. “Shit,” he mumbles when Isaac pulls back, licking his lips.

“You’re welcome.” Grinning, the Alpha gathers Scott’s come on his fingers and cleans them off slowly, laughing when the human groans.

“You - are - awful,” he says, more or less panting the words out.

Isaac rolls his eyes and tugs Scott’s boxer briefs back up, leaning down to kiss him once before slipping off the bed. “I’ll be right back,” he mumbles and leaves the room, going to the bathroom.

Once inside, Isaac grabs a washcloth and cleans his chest up, washing his hands before drying them, humming quietly. On his way out of the room, he sops in the hallway and listens for any sign that says Annabel is up, but all he can hear is her soft snoring.

Scott is laying on his stomach when Isaac comes back and the Alpha moves over to the bed, leaning down to kiss his shoulder. The human hums and turns to look at Isaac, his eyes half-lidded and his lips turned up into a soft smile.

“Go to sleep,” Isaac whispers, kissing Scott’s forehead.

“Are y’comin’ to sleep?” 

A laugh bubbles up from Isaac’s throat and he nods. “Yes,” he answers and slides underneath the blanket with Scott, pressing their bodies together. 

“You didn’t come,” Scott points out.

“No, I didn’t.”

“Why?”

“Because…” Isaac trails off and takes a deep breath. “I don’t always have to come, you know. I explained that earlier, didn’t I?” Scott nods his head slowly, his eyes fluttering shut, his breath slowing down. 

Their legs tangle together and Scott lays his head on Isaac’s chest, wrapping an arm around his middle. He mumbles a quiet ‘goodnight’ against the Alpha’s skin and falls asleep quickly. 

Isaac stays awake a while after that, thinking about everything. His life changed quickly and unexpectedly, though the Alpha knows that it’s only going to change for the better. Scott already fits into his life perfectly and now all Isaac can think about is spending the rest of his life with the human. 

Sometime later, Isaac falls asleep.

 

-

Scott and Isaac sleep peacefully until the morning. Sunlight breaks through the window and the bedroom door squeaks open, the sound of tiny feet padding against the floor rousing Isaac awake.

It isn’t until Annabel is jumping onto the bed and snuggling between the two of them that Isaac wakes completely, smiling. He kisses his daughter’s forehead and sighs, wrapping an arm around her, touching Scott’s back.

“Where papa?” Annabel asks.

“Papa… is staying with Jackson,” Isaac murmurs and thanks everything that Annabel is only two because she doesn’t ask anymore questions, just snuggles against him. She makes a noise like a purr in the back of her throat and nuzzles Isaac’s neck.

They stay that way until Scott stirs, blinking at the two of them. “Good morning,” he rasps and smiles, laughing in surprise when Annabel attacks him with good morning nuzzles.

“Are you two hungry?” As he speaks, Isaac sits up and makes an ‘oof’ noise when the toddler throws herself onto his lap. He laughs and scoops her up, cradling her in his arms as he stands. “Come on, I’ll make you breakfast.”

“Yay!” Annabel squeals, turning to look at Scott. “Comin’?”

Scott laughs and nods, slipping out of bed. “I’m coming,” he says and yawns, grabbing a t-shirt from the floor, tugging it on over his head as the three of them make their way out into the hall.

Isaac takes Annabel to the kitchen and sits her on the counter top, waiting until Scott is standing with her to move to the fridge. He grabs the ingredients to make eggs, figuring he’d stick with something simple, and hums as he starts making them.

Meanwhile, Scott talks to Annabel and listens to her talk about two-year old nonsense, laughing whenever she growls at him — which is often because, for some reason, she loves growling.

Ten minutes later, Isaac has the eggs done and plated, carrying three dishes over to the table before going back to get a bottle of orange juice from the fridge. He turns just in time to see Scott carry Annabel over to the table, her arms locked around his neck, nose against his cheek.

“You look adorable with her,” Isaac murmurs in passing, leaning down to whisper it against Scott’s ear, grinning when he chuckles. He grabs two glasses and one sippy cup from the cabinet, bringing them to the table.

“Aren’t these too hot?” Scott asks after putting Annabel in her highchair, frowning as he points to the plate, where the scrambled eggs are steaming slightly.

Annabel sucks in a breath and blows out before saying, “Blow ‘em!”

Chuckling again, Scott nods and takes a seat, blowing on the eggs before scooping some up with a spoon. He holds it out to Annabel, who squeals and takes the offering, chewing happily as she makes a grabby hands gesture to Isaac, who’s pouring juice in her cup.

“Don’t you have school today?” Isaac asks as he twists the top onto Annabel’s cup, handing it to her a second later. Scott shrugs and takes a bite of his own eggs, alternating between eating, blowing on Anna’s plate, and feeding her.

Isaac rolls his eyes and sets two glasses down on the table before sitting, digging into his own eggs. He watches Scott and Annabel fondly, smiling whenever she squeaks and touches the human’s face.

When they’re done eating, Isaac puts the dishes in the sink and rinses them quickly, turning to look at the other two. “We should probably get going. If I don’t show up at the garage and open it, Boyd and Erica will just stand there until I come,” he mumbles.

“Oh, yeah. Alright, I should probably get going, too.” Scott shrugs and stands, laughing when Annabel demands to be picked up (which means she holds her arms out, pouts, and makes a ‘hurumph’ noise).

“Because you have school.” 

“Yes, school and I have to talk to my mom.”

Annabel latches onto Scott and nuzzles him. “School,” she says and looks at Isaac, her eyes burning gold for a second. “Daddy!”

“Yeah, baby girl?”

“Schoooooool.”

Isaac laughs and comes over, pecking her forehead. “Alright, we’ll get you ready and I’ll drop you off at school,” he says, taking her from Scott when she reaches out to him.

“Do you…” Scott trails off, gulping. When the Alpha raises an eyebrow, the human laughs and mumbles, “Do you need help with her?”

“Oh. Yeah, that’d be nice.” Isaac leans in and kisses Scott gently, smiling against his lips before leading the way to Annabel’s room. He settles her on his hip and goes to grab an outfit from the dresser.

As he and Scott get her ready, Annabel babbles, singing quietly to herself, not even bothering to protest when Isaac brushes her hair. He puts it up in ponytails and, after getting Scott’s approval, enlists the human to watch her as he gets dressed.

Fifteen minutes later, Isaac comes out of his bedroom to find Scott sitting on Annabel’s floor with tiny, pink bows in his hair. He laughs entirely too hard at the image and snaps a photo with his phone, grinning when Anna squeals and claps her hand, saying “picture” over and over.

“No, no more pictures,” Isaac says, though he’s smiling and still laughing under his breath. “It’s time for you to go to school and Daddy needs to go to work.”

“No! Pictures.”

Scott laughs and turns around, picking Annabel up. “School,” he says, tickling her lightly, which causes the toddler to squeal and giggle loudly, squirming in his hold. “We can take more pictures later.”

That sates Annabel and she runs over to Isaac, who picks her up and grabs her backpack from the floor. He slings it over his shoulder, watching as Scott gets up, taking each bow out of his hair.

“I can trust you in here alone, right?” Isaac asks, teasing.

“No, I was thinking about swiping a few things.”

“No swipin’!” Annabel says in a serious tone.

A smirk spreads across Isaac’s face and he goes over to kiss Scott gently, murmuring against his lips, “Swiping is bad.”

“Is that from Dora?”

“Dora! Dora!” As she sings, Annabel sways in Isaac’s hold.

Scott laughs and kisses her nose. “That answers my question,” he says and kisses Isaac again, squeezing his hip as he walks past him. “But you can totally trust me being here alone for a few minutes.”

“Good.” Humming, Isaac hitches Annabel higher on his hip and walks out of the room, following Scott down to the master bedroom. “I’ll text you later, okay? Lock up before you leave and please make sure everything is off.”

“Will do, Alpha.” Scott grins and starts getting dressed, throwing a look over his shoulder at Isaac, his eyes shining in the light. He looks happy and that makes the Alpha’s heart thump in his chest.

They say goodbye again and Isaac leaves the apartment, going down to the car. He puts Annabel in her seat, making sure she’s secure before getting in himself and starting the engine. It takes a few minutes for him to get to the daycare center and he leaves the Camaro running as he takes his daughter inside.

Isaac stays behind for a few minutes to make sure Annabel is okay and then goes off to work, where Boyd and Erica are already waiting outside, glaring at him when he pulls up.

“You’re late,” Erica says, wrinkling her nose.

“Not that late.” As he speaks, Isaac gets the keys out and unlocks the garage before shoving the door up, turning when Boyd snickers. “Huh?”

Boyd shakes his head and walks inside, going to grab a jumpsuit from a toolbox in the corner, setting his bag down. “You smell strange,” is all he says and Erica hums in agreement.

That makes Isaac blush and he mumbles, “Shut up,” before going to pull his own jumpsuit on, avoiding Erica and Boyd’s glares. When the rest of the staff comes in, they get to work and stay busy for a while.

When Erica comes up to him hours later and asks what’s going on with him, all Isaac can say is, “I think I’m in love.”


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The full moon comes and Isaac leaves Annabel in Scott's care.

A few weeks pass and soon the end of the month comes, bringing the first full moon of Isaac and Scott’s relationship. While he has explained exactly what’s going to happen that night, the Alpha hasn’t told Scott that he’ll be babysitting Annabel alone.

… Until now.

-

They’re putting dishes away and cleaning up after dinner when Isaac drops the bomb on Scott, gaining the exact reaction that he expected. Scott stares at him, eyes widened in surprise, and he opens and closes his mouth like a fish gasping for air.

“What?” Isaac asks, slightly amused.

“You want me to babysit Annabel…  _all on my own_?”

Isaac grins and nods his head, mumbling, “I need someone to do it. You are the only person who won’t be shifting or working that night.”

Silence falls over the kitchen and Isaac moves over, pecking Scott’s lips before telling him, in a quiet voice, that he can think it over. If he doesn’t want to do it, or doesn’t think he  _can_ , Isaac will get someone else to do it.

But, really, Scott is the only person save for Sheriff Stilinski that Isaac trusts.

It isn’t until later, when Isaac has bathed Annabel and gotten her face and hair completely cleaned of spaghetti sauce that Scott gives him an answer.

“I want to do it,” he says, coming up behind Isaac, who has Annabel swaddled in a towel, and sighs quietly. “I’m just worried, you know?”

“About?”

Scott blows out a long breath and looks at Annabel, who’s peeking over her father’s shoulder to look at him, grinning. He grins back. “About her shifting on me and not knowing what to do. What if something happens, Isaac? Like she hurts herself or she starts choking or — “

“Calm down.” Isaac’s voice is soft, but amused, and he turns to look at the human, a tiny smiling playing on his lips. “She’s a  _werewolf_  — so the chances of her actually hurting herself and not healing are pretty much slim to none,” he says.

“What if she shifts?” Scott asks, frowning.

Isaac laughs and shakes his head, adjusting his daughter in his arms, moving one hand to touch Scott’s face. “She won’t and even if she does, you’ll be able to handle it; I know you will.”

“I’ve never done  _this_ ,” the human motions to Isaac and Annabel, “before so how do you know I’ll be able to handle it?”

“Because,” Isaac answers and leans in to kiss Scott gently, whispering the rest against his lips, “I trust you.”

 

-

Three days later, Isaac packs a bag and double checks that Scott and Annabel have everything they’ll need for the night — food, sufficient entertainment, and whatever else they may need.

When he’s made the rounds, the Alpha takes his bag downstairs and stashes it in the Camaro, sighing heavily. He trusts Scott, he really does, but he’s worried about what might happen while he’s gone. It’s the first time Isaac has had anyone outside of his family take care of Annabel and he pushes all of his worries and concerns away as he goes back up to the apartment.

Scott and Annabel are sitting on the floor, a bottle of bright blue nail polish sitting on the carpet. It makes Isaac stop in his tracks and he raises an eyebrow, looking at Scott. “Did you…”

“Bring this?” Scott points to the nail polish and blushes when Isaac nods, chewing on his lower lip gently. “My mom let me borrow it and a few other things. I didn’t know what girls liked, so..”

“Anna’s only two, how do you expect her to paint your nails?”

Hesitation flashes across Scott’s face and he shrugs, saying, “I don’t know but if she gets it all over my skin, I’ll just get it off.” 

The sight of Scott and Annabel on the floor together is too fucking adorable and Isaac doesn’t want to leave, though he knows he has to. It takes a few minutes for him to gather up the courage to say goodbye, though it’s easy enough to say it to Annabel, seeing as he’s said it to her  two dozen times before.

“Okay, Daddy’s gotta go.” Isaac squats and opens his arms, grinning as his daughter comes barreling toward him. Her tiny arms wrap around his neck and she holds on, nuzzling and kissing his cheek. “Be good for Scott, okay?”

“Kay!” Squealing, Annabel nuzzles her nose against Isaac’s. “Love you, daddy,” she says, though instead of ‘love’ she says ‘luh’.

Isaac smiles, nuzzling his nose back as he murmurs, “I love you too, baby girl.”

Next comes Scott and the human looks at Isaac with a worried expression, his lower lip caught between his teeth. “Be careful, okay?”

“Always am,” Isaac says and kisses Scott gently, rubbing his back. “You have the number for Stiles, Sheriff Stilinski, and Argent if anything goes wrong, right?”

“Mmm, you made a list for me.”

“Okay.” Blowing out a long breath, Isaac kisses Scott one more time and waves to Annabel, who’s sitting on the floor going through Scott’s bag, which makes the Alpha laugh. “I love you both,” he says, not really thinking about what he’d said until the words were out.

Scott blinks a few times and then grins slowly. “I love you too,” he replies and pecks Isaac’s cheek, nuzzling their noses together. “Now go.”

Isaac blushes and drags his teeth along his lower lip, wanting to talk about the confession they both made but he has to go. He sighs, waving at Scott and Annabel one more time before leaving the apartment.

When he gets into the Camaro, Isaac checks his phone and sees that he has several text messages from Erica, Boyd, and Allison. They all want to know why he’s late and when he’s coming, which makes him snort as he sends a mass reply, telling them he’s coming.

The engine roars to life and Isaac shifts into reverse, pulling out of his spot before shifting again, driving across the parking lot and then onto the road. He’s speeding toward the woods less than a minute later, watching the sun set along the horizon, shifting gears easily.

Everyone is waiting for him when he gets there and their eyes glow in the headlights, which makes Isaac smile just a little. He parks beside the rest of the cars and sighs, putting his phone, wallet, and keys in the glove compartment before getting out.

“It’s about time you got here, Lahey!” Lydia Martin, Erica’s mate, calls out to him and he just rolls his eyes, waving a hand toward her. She’s already down to her underwear, like everyone else, and he strips down as quickly as he can.

Allison wraps a hand around his wrist when he gets closer and Isaac smiles softly, knowing she can feel how anxious he is. “First time leaving Annabel alone with Scott, huh?”

“How can you tell?” Isaac murmurs, his eyes on the forest.

“Because I know you,” is her answer and she grins, her eyes flashing a bright blue. “Dad and the others are hanging around, in case anything happens.”

Chris Argent, Allison’s human father, is a man that came from a hunter’s background but quit because he fell in love with a werewolf. He helps the makeshift pack on the full moon, making sure everyone is okay and safe instead of hunting after them, like his family did for generations.

Lydia comes up, followed by Erica, and smiles. “I hear you’re properly mated to someone. Congratulations,” she says, eyes burning gold.

“Not properly,” the Alpha mumbles, sighing.

“What, you haven’t gone through the ceremony yet?” Lydia’s eyebrows are pinched together when she speaks and Isaac just shakes his head, feeling his body tremble as darkness falls. “So what are you waiting for?”

“Lydia,” Erica hisses, but she just waves the other girl off.

Isaac sighs and brings a hand up, pinching the bridge of his nose. “I don’t know. Now, are we waiting for Kali and Deucalion or are they meeting up with us somewhere?”

“Meeting up,” Boyd says and shrugs. “I don’t know about the rest. Ethan is probably trying to avoid coming out here as long as he can, so he can spend time with Danny.”

With that, Isaac rolls his neck from side to side and stalks forward, disappearing into the woods. A loud growl fills the air as he shifts, huffing out a sharp breath as he goes completely to his Alpha form.

The rest follow him, howling and growling as they run through the trees.

-

Isaac prefers his Alpha form more because he can run faster and the world seems so much better; brighter, more amazing. He loses the misfit pack he throws together on full moons and huffs, his breath showing in the chilly air.

Soon, though, he catches a familiar scent and skids on the forest floor, running in the direction of the scent, hearing the howls of several other wolves. When he gets to a huge clearing, Isaac sees the rest of their little band of misfits and snorts.

At the edge of the trees stands five other wolves; two of them have gone completely wolf and Isaac knows those are Kali and Deucalion. He can hear the others coming up behind them, their footsteps falling heavy on the floor, crunching leaves and snapping twigs.

“Are we going to hunt now or are you just going to sit there, staring at the others for the rest of the night?” It’s Erica’s voice that Isaac hears and he growls at her, turning to look at her, eyes blazing.

With a curt nod, he turns back to the others and then tips his head back, letting out a long, loud howl before running through the woods. He finds himself in a competition with Kali to see who can run the fastest and he beats her, snagging a deer that she had her eyes set on.

That’s how it goes for the rest of the night and Isaac wonders, as he’s tearing the stag’s throat out with his teeth, how Scott and Anna are doing.

 

-

In the morning, just when the sun comes up, the wolves shift back to their human forms and clean up in the creek. The Alphas are completely naked, while the betas are in dirty undergarments that are torn and bloodied from the night of hunting before.

Kali comes up as Isaac is cleaning blood from his hands and kneels beside him, grinning from ear to ear. “How’s your pup?”

“Just fine,” Isaac answers, cupping his hands in the cold water before splashing it all over his face, shivering. He can hear the others talking and fooling around in the water, smiling. “How are yours?”

“Perfect.” The way Kali says that sounds smug and Isaac glares at her, licking his lips, frowning when he tastes blood on them. “I hear you’re no longer with the Stilinski boy,” she murmurs.

Turning away, Isaac shrugs and brings a handful of water up, drinking it out of his palm. He swishes it around in his mouth and spits, watching the creek water turn red. “I’ve found someone new,” he replies.

“Someone new?  _Hmm_. Is he - or she - human or are they like us?” Kali brings one of her hands up and runs a claw down the side of Isaac’s face.

“Human.”  Isaac opens his mouth to say something else when Deucalion comes over, interrupting their conversation. He tells Kali to escort the twins and Ennis back to their cars. 

Once she’s gone, he kneels beside Isaac. “I hear congratulations are in order,” he whispers and smiles at the younger Alpha as he drops his hands down into the water, washing the blood off of them.

“Thank you.” For some reason, it’s more comforting to hear those words come from Deucalion than from Kali, and Isaac manages a smile. “I think I should get going. I’m sure Scott had a hectic night,” he says, sighing.

“You and your new mate should come over sometime.” As he speaks, Deucalion scrubs his hands together, working his nails against the heel of his hand to get the blood out.

Isaac purses his lips together and stands, nodding. “Maybe,” he says and calls out to the others, saying goodbye to them as he makes his way back to the Camaro.

When he gets there, Isaac grabs a towel from the bag he packed and dries everything off quickly, returning the damp fabric and his clothes from the night to the bag. Next, he pulls on the dry, clean outfit he packed and gets into the car, watching as the others break through the trees.

The last thing Isaac sees before pulling away is Deucalion waving to him and he shudders, turning his attention to the gravel road stretching out in front of him, anxious to get home.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Scott babysits Annabel during the full moon.

 

**[Scott's POV]**

Once Isaac is gone and he can no longer hear the roar of the Camaro, Scott starts to panic just a little. He’s never taken care of a werewolf child before and while he is comfortable around Annabel, it’d be a hell of a lot easier with Isaac around.

He forces himself to calm down, though, and locks the door behind Isaac, blowing out a long breath as he turns back to Annabel, who’s sitting on the floor where he left her, playing with the bottle of nail polish.

“Hey, Anna.” Scott smiles and goes to sit in front of the toddler, pushing her curls away from her eyes when she looks up at him. “Do you want to paint Scott’s nails and make him look pretty?”

“Pretty!” Annabel agrees, nodding as she hands the bottle to Scott.

Laughing quietly, he opens it and hands the top to Annabel, offering the toddler his hand a second later. Scott watches as she very carefully paints his thumbnail, getting some of the blue polish on his skin, and she looks up at him every so often. That’s when he tells her she’s doing good, that she’s making him look very pretty.

It takes twenty minutes for Annabel to paint Scott’s nails and while she gets more colour on his skin than on the actual nail itself, he think she doesn’t do a bad job at all. Definitely better than Scott himself could do.

After his manicure, Scott puts on Monsters Inc and leaves Annabel in the living room, making sure to take all the toxic chemicals away from her before leaving her unattended.

This is how his life is going to be, he reminds himself, and he’s more than happy to take care of Annabel for the rest of his life. He wants his own pups to take care of and makes a mental note to tell Isaac about that so they can make an appointment later, to see if it’s possible.

“Boo,” Annabel says from the living room and Scott smiles, turning to watch her sprawl out with a pillow from the couch. She lays her head on it and sticks a thumb into her mouth, a habit Scott knows she’ll have to get out of soon.

For now, though, he just lets it happen.

While she’s watching her movie, Scott gets started on dinner. They’re eating a little later than he would have liked but it’s okay; he figures that Annabel won’t be going to sleep anytime soon.

Scott hums to himself as he cooks, looking over at the toddler every once in a while to make sure she’s okay. When he sees that she’s still content with sucking on her thumb and watching Sulley and Mike on screen, he goes back to working.

Half an hour later, Scott plates the chicken and mashed potatoes he worked on, deciding they can eat in the living room. He’s never heard Isaac say that they can’t, not really, but he isn’t about to call the Alpha just to ask if it’s okay to eat in front of the television.

Annabel sits with Scott on the floor, taking the small bites of chicken he feeds to her, sometimes not taking her eyes off the movie. She eats happily and hums, evening going as far as saying “that’s good” when Scott feeds her.

“I could totally do this with my own kid,” Scott mumbles as he alternates between feeding Annabel and himself, his eyes locked on the television as well. He thinks about it, about having a baby that looks like both Isaac and himself, one with dark brown curls and brown eyes.

And the thought makes his heart thump in his chest.

The movie goes on for a little while longer and once it’s done, Scott clears the plates away before picking Annabel up. She makes a noise that the human has never heard before and he looks down at her. 

Panicking, he grabs his phone and calls Stiles’ number, keeping his eyes on the quiet toddler in his arms. When her father answers, it takes all Scott has in him not to ramble and fire off questions.

Instead, he says, “Hey, I have a question.”

“What is it?” Stiles asks, sounding tired.

“Anna made this noise and now she’s not really… responsive? I mean, she’s awake and moving but is quiet.”

There’s silence before Stiles asks, “Are her eyes normal colour or are they shiny? Almost like a beta’s.”

“Uh…” Scott swallows and looks down at Annabel, who gazes up at him, her eyes flashing golden before staying that way. “They’re gold, man.”

“It’s fine, Scott,” Stiles laughs on the other end, which makes the human relax a little and he blows out a breath, asking what it means. “It means that the moon is having an effect on her — but she’ll be fine.”

Scott bites his lip and asks, “No shifting?”

“No, she most likely won’t shift until she’s five.”

“Why so late?” Scott is confused; he thought all werewolves shifted when they were two or three — not  _five_.

The other man laughs and replies, “It’s not late, Scott. We don’t know when she’ll shift, not exactly, but Isaac has a good idea about when it’s going to happen.”

“Oh.”

“Is there anything else?” Stiles asks.

“No, nothing. So… she’ll be fine?”

“Completely. If you need anything else, feel free to call.”

The line goes dead then and Scott puts his phone into his pocket, looking down at Annabel, whose eyes have gone sort of glassy. He reminds himself that it’s normal, just the moon affecting her, and carries the toddler into the bathroom.

 

-

Annabel is completely different after her bath; she goes from being quiet and unlike her normal self to talking about the movie they watched. She even impersonates Boo and runs away from Scott after he gets her out, wrapping the towel around her shoulders like a cape.

“Come here, little wolf.” Scott laughs and chases her, scooping the little girl up in his arms before carrying her to her bedroom. 

The human flicks the lights on and takes Annabel into the room, sitting her down on the mattress before going to grab her pajamas. He comes back, dries her off completely, and puts her clothes on, going to get her brush off of the dresser.

While Scott brushes Annabel’s hair, she sings nonsense to him and bites at his fingers whenever he tugs on a tangle. “Sorry,” he mumbles and keeps going, being more careful with the knots.

It takes fifteen minutes but Scott gets her curls brushed before putting her hair up into tiny pigtails. He lays down on the bed with her and reads a book after that, running his fingers along the top of her head. She breathes in slowly, her head pressed against the crook of Scott’s neck, and he thinks he could  _definitely_  do this with his own kids.

Annabel goes to sleep after two stories and she barely stirs when Scott moves away from her, mumbles something in her sleep about Sulley when the human tucks the blanket around her, and stays put.

“Goodnight,” he whispers, kissing the top of the toddler’s head before pulling back, sighing. The little girl is slowly becoming Scott’s life and he loves her, he really does, just like he loves Isaac.

When he remembers that he told the Alpha that before he left, Scott blushes and leaves the room, closing Annabel’s door slowly. He leaves it open just a little, just so he can hear her if she cries, and goes into the living room.

Scott sprawls out on the couch and sighs, grabbing his phone. He looks through his list of contacts and selects Matt’s name, deciding to text him for a while before going to sleep. 

The two of them text back and forth for an hour before Scott goes into the bedroom, falling face-first on the mattress. He yawns against the bed sheets and rolls over onto his back, getting out of his jeans before kicking them to the floor.

Once he’s down to his boxers and t-shirt, the human slips underneath the blankets and lays his head on the pillow, falling asleep almost immediately. He wakes up a few hours later when Annabel crawls into bed with him and starts crying.

“What’s wrong?” Scott asks as he sits up, leaning over to turn the lamp on.

“Miss daddy,” she answers and starts crying even more, which prompts Scott to pick her up, settling the toddler on his lap. He leans back against the headboard with her, rubbing her back gently.

The sound of Annabel crying is the single most heartbreaking thing he’s ever heard before and Scott just wants it to stop. It doesn’t, at least not for another twenty minutes, and by the time it has, Annabel has drifted off to sleep again.

Scott spends the next hour with a very clingy, sleeping toddler on his lap and decides that there’s no way he’s going to get her back into her own bed, so he just lays down. Annabel’s half laying on him and half on the mattress, her tiny arms wrapped around his neck.

For the next few hours, they both sleep peacefully. 

-

Sunlight breaks through the window and Scott finds himself awakened by Annabel, who’s asking where her daddy is. 

“He’ll be home soon,” he answers and kisses her forehead, sighing as the two of them get up. They both use the bathroom (Scott has to help Annabel when she does) and wash their hands before moving to the kitchen.

“Toast,” she says and yawns loudly, squeaking.

Scott smiles and nods, lifting her up before settling her into the highchair, yawning quietly himself. “Look at that, you’ve got me yawning now,” he mumbles playfully, tickling Annabel, who giggles loudly.

With a smile, he moves away and grabs a dish, deciding to make french toast for Annabel and himself. He gets a cup of juice for her and grabs a colouring book from his bag, along with a pack of crayons.

Annabel squeals in delight and starts to colour while Scott fixes breakfast for the two of them, looking over at the toddler when she says his name. He praises her for her colouring abilities and plates the toast when it’s done, setting one plate in front of her.

They’re halfway through breakfast when the door opens and Isaac comes in, looking exhausted. Scott smiles at him and kisses the Alpha when he gets closer, humming against his lips.

“Daddy, kiss,” Annabel says, pouting. Scott laughs when Isaac murmurs a quiet ‘well excuse me’ before kissing his daughter’s forehead. He sits down at the table and yawns loudly, folding his hands in front of him.

Scott notices the blood under his nails and frowns. “Do you want breakfast or did you eat enough last night?”

“I could go for some cereal,” Isaac replies and he smiles when Scott nods, saying he’ll get it for him. 

The Alpha turns his attention to Annabel while Scott gets a bowl out of the cabinet, setting it down as he goes to get the milk and a box of cereal, picking one at random. He can smell the woods on Isaac, even if he isn’t a werewolf, and wrinkles his nose.

A few minutes later, Scott sets the bowl down in front of Isaac and grins, making a ‘ta-da’ gesture like he’s just made the greatest breakfast in the world. “You eat and then take a nap, okay?”

“No, no, I gotta take Annabel to daycare.” Isaac frowns and grabs his spoon, taking a big bite of cereal. Scott rolls his eyes and leans down, wrapping his arms around the Alpha’s neck, kissing the top of his head.

“I can take her,” he whispers, nuzzling Isaac a bit, “or I can call Stiles to come and get her.”

Isaac makes a noise and swallows before saying, “Stiles worked.”

“Then… I can take her. It’s not that hard, right? Just drive, drop her off, and make sure she’s settled before coming back.”

“I — “

“Come on, you trust me enough to watch her on full moons. Why can’t you trust me to take her across town to the daycare center?”

The Alpha tilts his head back and sighs, kissing Scott quickly. “Okay,” he says and goes back to eating while the human gathers Annabel, who squeals and giggles, latching onto him like an octopus.

Scott changes Annabel and brushes her hair, deciding to just keep it down but puts a headband on so that her bangs are out of her eyes. Once she’s ready, he picks her up and grabs her bag, taking the toddler out to say goodbye to Isaac, who’s sprawled out on the couch.

“I’ll be back soon and maybe we’ll take a bath,” Scott says and smiles when the Alpha hums in agreement, his mouth quirked up into a grin.

“Bye, baby,” Isaac murmurs, waving to both Scott and Annabel as they make their way out of the apartment. The human pauses for a moment to grab the keys to the Camaro and leaves, letting the door shut softly behind them.

The Camaro is parked right next to Scott’s car and he goes to the passenger side, opening the door before pulling the seat forward. He puts Annabel in her seat and lays her backpack on the floorboard, making sure she’s secure. Once she is, Scott puts the front seat back in it’s original position, shuts the door, and goes around to the driver’s side.

Scott has only driven the Camaro twice and is nervous to drive it again, though he knows that Isaac trusts him and that nothing is going to happen. Still, he is extra careful and goes slow, though every fiber of his being is telling him to floor it.

They make it to daycare a few minutes later and Scott parks in front of the door, letting the Camaro idle as he carries Annabel inside. Her teacher is waiting for them both at the door and she frowns at Scott until he explains who he is, then she warms up to him.

“See you later, Anna,” Scott says, kissing the back of her head before handing her off to the teacher. He waves and watches the two of them go into the room, standing behind for a moment to make sure Annabel isn’t upset.

When he sees that she’s not and is clearly the opposite of upset, he leaves the center and drives back to Isaac’s apartment carefully. Scott parks in the same spot, shuts the engine off, and goes inside to find the Alpha in the same spot as before — only now he’s snoring lightly.

Scott rolls his eyes and comes over, kissing Isaac softly. “Wake up. You should be sleeping in the bedroom,” he points out.

“Mmm…” Isaac hums, blinking his eyes open to look at Scott. “Okay,” he says, letting Scott help him up and into the bedroom. As soon as they get there, the human strips the Alpha of his clothes and gets him into bed. “What about the bath?”

“We’ll take one later,” Scott says and kisses Isaac’s lips. Then he gets undressed and slips underneath the covers with Isaac. He wraps both arms around the Alpha’s waist, kisses his shoulder, and falls asleep once more; feeling warm and safe and content against Isaac.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Isaac gets three good surprises in one day -- one of which he never _dreamed_ he would get.

A constant clicking sound wakes Isaac up several hours later and he rolls over onto his stomach, pressing his face against the pillow. He groans and shoves his arms underneath it, yawning quietly as the clicking stops for a second before going again.

“What is that?” Isaac mumbles, frowning.

Scott laughs and the clicking stops. “My laptop,” he answers and runs a hand along the Alpha’s shoulders, which causes him to shudder. “Is it bothering you? If it does, I can go in the living room.”

“No, m’fine.” Yawning loudly, Isaac sits up and turns around so he’s leaning back against the headboard, blinking at the laptop. The screen is a little fuzzy and it takes a few more blinks for it to come into focus and he grins when he sees that Scott’s doing homework. “A paper?”

“Kind of.” Scott shrugs and turns back to his computer. “Oh, by the way, your phone kept going off while you were asleep. I checked it and a few of the missed calls were from Stiles,” he mumbles.

With a groan, the Alpha gets out of bed and grabs his phone, listening to the voice messages he got from Stiles. A few are just general ones — of Stiles wondering how the run went the night before — but the last one says for Isaac to call him back as soon as possible.

“I’m going to call Stiles back,” Isaac murmurs, already dialing the number on his way out of the room, yawning again. He brings the phone up to his ear and runs his free hand through the mop of curls on top of his head, working tangles out with the tips of his fingers.

On the fourth ring, Stiles answers. “Hey, Is.”

“Stiles.” The Alpha yawns again and mumbles, “What’s so important? Is it Annabel, is she alright?”

“She’s fine, calm down.” Stiles laughs on the other end and Isaac walks into the kitchen as he listens to the other man talk. “I spoke to Jackson about your uncle earlier and he said they were going to try the treatment on him later tonight.”

At the mention of Peter, Isaac stops in his tracks and blinks. He didn’t forget about what Jackson told them about the new treatment for the sole survivor of the fire but… Isaac hadn’t really been expecting them to come up with something so soon.

“Isaac?”

“Huh?”

“Are you there?”

Isaac licks his lips and nods, sighing. “Yeah, I’m here,” he answers and leans against the counter with one arm crossed over his chest. “When are they going to do the treatment?”

“Sometime this evening and he wanted to know if you’d like to be there when they do it. You know, as his only living family member and to show your support,” Stiles says and Isaac laughs. “Is that a no?”

“No, it’s…” What was it? Of course Isaac wants to be there to see his uncle but he hasn’t stepped foot into that hospital room in ages. He doesn’t know what kind of effect seeing Peter like that will have on him after all this time. “Tell him I’ll be there.”

Stiles makes a noise on the other line that Isaac can only describe as one of delight and it makes him smile. “Alright, I’ll let you know when it’s happening and… I also wanted to know if I can have Anna tonight?”

That question makes Isaac’s chest tighten. They’ve been good at sharing custody of their daughter without any legal interruption but sometimes Isaac gets overly possessive and doesn’t want Annabel around Jackson.

Which is hypocritical, he knows, because she’s always around Scott.

“Yeah, of course. Are you going to pick her up from day care?”

“I am. That way you can just go straight to the hospital to see Peter.”

“Sounds good,” Isaac murmurs and says a quick goodbye before hanging up the phone, setting it on the counter behind him. There are other messages he needs to check, things from the other wolves, but all Isaac wants right now is Scott.

So he walks back into the bedroom, leaving his phone where it is, and falls onto the bed, sliding his head onto Scott’s lap — or onto as much of it as he can, of course.

One of Scott’s hands combs through his hair as he whispers, “What did Stiles want?”

“He wanted to tell me that Jackson is going to do that treatment on Peter tonight and asked if I wanted to be there.” Isaac closes his eyes and lays his arm across Scott’s legs, sighing. “I said yes,” he mumbles before the human can even ask.

“Oh. That’s… good, right?” When Isaac shrugs and makes a noncommittal noise in the back of his throat, Scott laughs. “Well maybe I can cheer you up,” he whispers, clicking the keyboard a few times before shutting the laptop.

Isaac shakes his head and slides it onto Scott’s lap when the computer is laid on the mattress. “I doubt it,” he sighs.

“How about if I said… while we’re at the hospital — because I  _am_  going with you tonight — we could get me tested. To see if I can get pregnant.”

Those words set in and Isaac turns his head up, eyes widening as he looks at Scott with his mouth open. He wants to say something, wants to ask if the human is serious, but nothing escapes; save for a small laugh, of course.

Scott’s cheeks turn pink and he whispers, “How does that sound?”

“Like a fucking perfect idea,” the Alpha breathes and moves a hand up, cupping the back of Scott’s head before pulling him down. He kisses the human slowly and hums against his lips, laughing when Scott has to pull away, complaining about being bent over. “Are you sure this is what you want?” Isaac asks quietly.

“Of course. Babysitting Annabel last night made me realize that I  _really_  want a baby of my own and I’m fine with this being my life. Maybe I’m a little young for children but… I want it —  _with you_.”

Isaac grins and nods his head, sitting up to kiss Scott repeatedly. He mumbles soft things against his lips, mostly alternating between ‘thank you’ and ‘I love you’ before finally pulling away. 

“I should get cleaned up,” he says and frowns, looking down at his nails, which are still caked with blood from last night. Sighing, he brings his gaze up and then looks at Scott’s, blinking. “Nice manicure.”

“Why thank you.” Scott beams and wiggles his fingers, laughing. “Anna did an amazing job with my nails, don’t you think?”

Snorting, Isaac nods and slides off the bed. “She did,” he replies and holds his hands out for Scott to take, grinning. “Let’s take a shower together.”

The human’s hands slip into his own and Isaac helps him off the bed, wrapping both arms around Scott’s shoulders. He kisses his forehead and bends down, peppering kisses across his cheekbones because, fuck, Isaac is happy. 1000% honest-to-God happy.

-

Isaac and Scott’s shower takes longer than either of them planned. They stay underneath the stream, kissing and touching and moaning into one another’s mouth until the water turns cold and Scott squeaks at the sudden change in temperature.

A laugh escapes the Alpha’s throat when that happens and he turns the shower off, helping Scott out of the shower. He hands him a towel and keeps one for himself, both of them drying off as they make their way back to the bedroom.

Once there, Isaac starts getting dressed and Scott just watches him. He grins when he catches the human staring at him, his eyes flashing red for a brief moment, another laugh escaping at Scott’s gasp.

“Sorry,” the Alpha murmurs, tugging a shirt over his head. “You know I love to tease you.”

“I know.” Scott pouts and starts getting dressed himself, his hands shaking as he pulls his pants on. That doesn’t go unnoticed by Isaac and he frowns, coming up behind the human, lips pressed against his neck. He asks what’s wrong and Scott answers with, “Just nervous.”

Isaac nods his head and sighs. “I know,” he mumbles, “but I am too.”

“Why are  _you_  nervous?”

“Because I don’t want you hurting and they’re going to draw blood from you… and I may very well attack the person doing it.”

A sharp, high pitched laugh escapes Scott’s throat and he shakes his head slowly, resting his hands on Isaac’s. “I’m going to be fine. I get blood drawn once a year and I’m a good boy; I never scream,” he informs the Alpha, grinning.

“If you’re a good boy at the hospital,” Isaac starts, brushing his lips along the shell of Scott’s ear, “then I’ll give you a lollipop when we get back.”

“Shit.” Scott presses back against Isaac and sighs. “We really should get going if we’re gonna do this today,” he mumbles.

The Alpha sighs and nods his head, pulling away from Scott. “I guess you’re right,” he says and grabs the rest of his things before pulling his combat boots on, lacing them up quickly. 

For a trip to the hospital, Isaac thinks they’re both dressed comfortably, what with Scott wearing a tight, dark red Henley with a pair of khaki shorts and his usual skate shoes. Isaac on the other hand is wearing a simple gray t-shirt and a pair of black skinny jeans with his boots.

Once they’re ready to go, Isaac grabs two apples from a bowl on the kitchen table and tosses one to Scott, who struggles to catch it. That makes the Alpha laugh and he rolls his eyes, throwing an arm around the human’s shoulders, leading him out of the apartment.

“So,” Scott says before taking a big bite of his apple and chewing it carefully on their way to the parking lot, “you’re gonna see Peter?”

“Yeah, for the first time in a long time.”

Scott takes another bite and chews, swallowing quickly. “And he’s the only family you have alive? No one else is, like, around?”

“Not that I know of.” Isaac frowns a little at the questions but shakes his head, taking Scott over to the passenger side. He opens the door, waits for the human to get in, and shuts it before walking around to the opposite side.

As he starts the engine, Isaac holds his apple between his teeth and slips his seat belt on, taking a huge chunk from the fruit when he pulls it away. He shifts into gear, backs out, and starts toward the edge of the parking lot, chewing thoughtfully.

When the fire happened, Isaac thought every single person in his family had been burned alive but then Peter was found — unconscious but alive. Now, with Scott’s questions, Isaac can’t help but wonder if someone else might have made it out alive.

Someone like Derek… or Laura.

If anyone did survive the fire, though, Isaac wouldn’t care who it was so long as they were alive and healthy. That thought is on his mind all the way to the hospital and he drives, alternating between eating his apple and shifting gears.

-

When they get to the hospital, Isaac drops Scott off at the ER entrance and goes to find a parking spot, swinging the Camaro into the first one he finds that’s closest to the door. He parks quickly, shuts the engine off, and gets out before heading inside, where he finds Scott standing with Melissa.

“Hey, Isaac,” she says, smiling brightly. She comes to hug him and Isaac wraps his arms around her shoulders, inhaling deeply; Melissa smells like hospital, sickness, Scott, and some kind of flowery perfume underneath all of that. It’s pleasant, minus the sickly smell of course.

Isaac pulls back and smiles. “Hey,” he replies and looks at Scott, biting down on his lower lip for a second. “Did Scott tell you why we’re here?”

“Blood tests,” Melissa answers and Scott coughs dryly. “Is there more to it than that?”

“We’re here to see if Scott can — “

Before Isaac can finish, Scott interrupts him with: “To see if I can get knocked up with his pups. Now, before you freak out, can we just get this show on the road?”

Melissa stares at him and blinks. Then she laughs and nods, leading both of them down to an exam room, where they’re instructed to sit down in the chairs lined up against the wall.

“I’ll be right back with everything,” she says and disappears.

Scott’s cheeks are red when he drops into the seat next to Isaac and he groans quietly, bringing his hands up to his face. “That was so fucking embarrassing,” he mumbles.

“Not really.” Isaac shrugs and when Scott turns to glare at him, he laughs and smiles before saying, “At least she found out from  _you_  and not from some second party that may have been involved in this.”

The human opens his mouth to say something but then his mother walks back into the room, carrying all the necessary supplies. She’s nothing but smiles and warm encouragements, even going so far as to use Scott’s entire name when he won’t comply.

Isaac just sits back and watches the two interact, thoroughly amused. He holds Scott’s hand, though, when the human gets his blood drawn and brushes his knuckles with the pad of his thumb.

When Melissa says she’ll run the test and be back with the results, Isaac tugs Scott onto his lap and kisses him. “You did good,” he says and even goes as far as kissing the crook of his arm where a piece of gauze has been taped in place.

“Asshole,” Scott teases in a quiet voice, nuzzling their heads together.

“I have been keeping something from you,” the Alpha says and clears his throat, pulling back to look at Scott. “There’s a ceremony for official mates and I never did it with Stiles because… well, I never saw the point but I want to do it with you.”

Scott blinks and frowns slightly. “A mating ceremony?”

“Yes, that’s exactly what it is.”

“Okay,” the human says, nodding slowly. “What’s it like?”

“Well,” Isaac starts and sighs, “it’s almost like a wedding. Except for dresses and cake and holy matrimony, you’re basically vowing that you’re going to be my mate for life… and there’s a collaring.”

The human’s eyes go wide at that. “A  _whatering_?”

“Collaring.”

“And that’s where you…” Scott makes a motion to his throat.

“Put a ceremonial collar on you in front of our friends and family, to show them that we’ve bonded and we’re serious.”

“Shit.” A nervous laugh leaves Scott’s throat and he coughs. “So why didn’t you do that with Stiles? I mean, don’t you  _have_  to do it?”

Isaac shakes his head and smiles. “Not if you don’t want to. At first, I didn’t think about it because I was still grieving my family and then Annabel was born… and, well, you know what happened after that,” he mumbles.

Scott doesn’t say anything after that, just leans against him for a while, pressing his head against Isaac’s shoulder. They stay like that for twenty minutes and only break apart when Melissa comes back in with a sheet of paper in her hands.

“So?” Isaac asks, suddenly feeling both nervous and excited.

Melissa smiles and nods her head. “You can get pregnant,” she replies and then laughs, handing the paper to Scott. “I guess I should congratulate you for being fertile and tell you that I don’t want any grandchildren until you’re officially mated — or graduated. Whichever comes first.”

A dumbstruck Scott takes the paper and reads it over again, nodding his head in reply to his mother’s words, though Isaac isn’t sure he was actually listening to her.

“Thank you,” the Alpha says, smiling at Melissa when she waves them goodbye, telling Scott to come see her before they leave. “Scott,” he says, kissing the human’s cheek lightly, “are you okay?”

“Huh?”

“Are you okay about this?”

Scott nods his head and smiles slowly. “Yeah, of course. I was half expecting her to tell me I was already pregnant,” he confesses and laughs, turning to catch Isaac’s mouth with his own.

They kiss for a while and get up when someone knocks on the door, needing the room for something. Isaac takes Scott’s hand and takes him out into the hallway, squeezing the human’s fingers lightly. He couldn’t be happier in that moment and wants nothing more than to organize a mating ceremony so he can get Scott pregnant.

First things first, though, he needs to see Peter.

“Shit.” Isaac pulls his phone out of his pocket and sees that he has several messages from Stiles. One says Jackson and his team of doctors are going to do the treatment at six — another says four.

Scott frowns and asks, “What’s wrong?”

“I should go catch up with Jackson. It’s almost four and they’re going to treat Peter soon.” Sighing, Isaac slips his phone into his pocket and cradles Scott’s face in his hands, kissing him deeply. “You can go back to the apartment if you want,” he whispers.

“Nah.” Scott smiles and kisses Isaac again, softly. “I think I’ll hang out with my mom for a while and if she’s busy, I’ll just go to the maternity ward and make faces at babies.”

Isaac laughs and nods, kissing the human once more. He sighs and reluctantly pulls away before heading to the bank of elevators. After pushing the up button for one, Isaac shoves his hands into his pockets and rocks back on his heels.

When the elevator opens, Isaac steps onto it and hits the button of the floor where Peter’s room is, his heart in his throat. The ride up to the burn ward seems long and by the time the elevator stops and the doors open, Isaac isn’t sure if he wants to do this or not.

Before he can make up his mind, though, Jackson spots him and calls the Alpha over, a huge grin on his face. “I’m glad you could make it,” he says, his hands tucked into the pockets of his jeans.

“I almost didn’t,” Isaac confesses, laughing nervously. “What kind of treatment is this?”

“A topical. We’ve been trying to develop something for people in your uncle’s condition and we think we’ve finally found it. Of course, we had to tweak the ointment we’re using on him because, as you probably know, regular medicine doesn’t always work on werewolves.” Jackson seems more relaxed and at ease around Isaac now, which makes the Alpha feel calm. 

A moment later, a group of people gather around the door and Jackson leads them in, allowing Isaac to go first. When a few of the other doctors murmur, questioning who he is, Alpha Whittemore explains that Isaac is Peter’s only living kin.

When the murmuring stops, Jackson pulls back the curtain to reveal a badly scarred Peter Hale sitting in a wheelchair. He looks worse than when Isaac saw him and his stomach churns, his heart racing.

“May I have the ointment?” Jackson asks, holding his hand out. A tall woman hands a container to him and the Alpha opens the top while everyone watches in silence.

Jackson’s fingers are skilled and quick but Isaac can tell that they’re incredibly gentle as well. He applies the concoction to Peter’s face and Isaac holds his breath when he’s hit with the smell of wolfsbane — but not just one type. No, it seems the doctor added the whole flower family to the mix.

The ointment smears on purple and seems to evaporate right into the skin almost immediately, which makes Isaac gasp. He wonders, briefly, if Stiles had anything to do with the development and bites his lower lip.

After ten painstaking minutes, Jackson is done and he steps back to look at the work and it seems like nothing has happened. Just when they’re about to give up and go, a few of the doctors muttering about failed results, something happens.

Peter’s burns start to shrink and the scars turn into something that may actually be smooth skin. It’s not a huge improvement, just a small patch of skin underneath his cheekbone, but it’s enough for Isaac.

“Holy fucking shit,” he mumbles, breath catching in his throat when a few other spots start to even out. He watches for a few minutes, heart pounding when he realizes that he may actually get his uncle back.

Jackson turns to him, grinning proudly. “This will help with the scars and we’re trying to come up with something that may help with everything else that’s been done to him,” he says and Isaac can’t help but smile.

“Has there been any improvements lately?” Isaac feels like a terrible nephew for not asking before or even visiting but now he has a reason to. Peter may  _actually_  get better and Isaac hopes that one day they can be a family again.

“He tries to speak to the nurses. It’s mostly just jumbled things or groans, like he’s trying to tell them he’s in pain.”

Nodding, Isaac moves over to the wheelchair and kneels. “Do you think he knows I’m here? Or… that he would if I started talking?”

“It’s worth a try,” Jackson says, twisting the cap back onto the container before handing it to someone, mumbling something about writing Peter’s name on it so they know not to use it on anyone else. Then he turns back to Isaac and says, “We’ll leave you alone for a while.”

Once everyone is gone, Isaac laughs. It’s quiet and heartbroken and it tapers off into a sobbing noise as he touches Peter’s face. He makes the tiniest of sounds and Isaac wonders if he’s in pain, frowning.

Then Peter opens his mouth to say, “C - Core..”

“Huh?” Isaac asks, blinking, but Peter stays quiet. He sighs and talks to his uncle for a while, telling him about Annabel and Scott and how well things are doing for him. 

When a nurse comes in to change his clothes and things, Isaac says goodbye and promises to come back and see Peter soon. Just before he goes to the door, though, the Alpha hears his uncle repeat the same word again…

And doesn’t know what he’s saying until he walks out of the room and into the hallway, almost running smack into someone. Who looks just like his baby sister and —

“Cora?” Isaac breathes, his eyes widening as he stares at her.


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Isaac finally has his sister back.

For a moment, all Isaac can do is stare at her.

Cora looks almost the same as she did six years ago. She’s older, of course, and a lot taller than she was before. Her hair is cut short, just above her shoulders, and she’s even got a few tattoos of her own, which Isaac can see peeking over the collar of her shirt.

And then she says his name.

“ _Holy sh_  — is it really you?” Isaac asks, his voice breathless.

“Yep.” Cora smiles and settles her eyes on Isaac’s face, studying him for a moment before she opens her mouth to say, “I didn’t think you would still be in Beacon Hills if you were still alive. What with the memories and all, you know.”

Isaac shakes his head and laughs. “I can’t leave this place,” he replies and takes a step forward, wrapping his arms around her shoulders. She puts a hand on the middle of his back and pats it, rubbing in slow circles before they ease apart. “How did you survive?”

“It’s a  _long_  story.”

“Well, shorten it.”

It takes a moment for Cora to speak and, when she does, she looks at the door past Isaac’s shoulder. “I ran away from the fire and one of the hunters, the woman, caught me. She said it’d be better to get rid of me there, while I watched my family die, but didn’t. One of the guys told her to take me back and she did,” she starts and laughs.

“Cora…” Isaac sighs.

“So they took me back to the house and locked me in the basement, kept asking questions about the family. I didn’t know anyone was alive and I begged them to kill me but… they didn’t. Instead, they took me up to Seattle where I managed to run away from them during a guard change.”

Isaac nods his head, telling her to go on. “And then I caught up with a pack that took me in, taught me everything I needed to know, and we moved here not too long ago,” she says, finishing with a smile.

“I’m glad you’re alive.”

“Me too,” Cora agrees and laughs, nudging him. “I’m glad you are, too, you know… and Uncle Peter.”

They fall into a comfortable silence and Isaac moves out of the way when the nurse comes out of Peter’s room, telling them they can go back in if they want. Cora leads the way and sits on the edge of Peter’s bed, touching his hand lightly.

“So how did you know about him?” Isaac asks, standing a few feet away as he watches his baby sister, smiling.

Cora looks up and shrugs. “I heard one of the pack members talking about him. She works at another hospital, in the town over, and she said that some doctors were working on something to help him,” she answers.

“Huh. Well, I’m glad he had someone visiting him.”

“They don’t know I’m his niece,” she murmurs, making a vague motion toward the door before dropping her hand back on top of Peter’s.

“I figured.” Isaac moves over to sit down on the mattress beside her, sighing heavily as he runs a hand along his face. “So what’s the Alpha’s name of the pack you’re staying with?”

Humming, Cora leans against him and smiles. “That’s the thing — they’re kind of all Alphas,” she murmurs.

That makes Isaac blink and it takes an embarrassingly long time for him to realize that she’s talking about Deucalion and his pack. He tries to remember when they came to Beacon Hills, wrinkling his nose a little.

“When did you guys move here?” Isaac asks.

“Well, I came later because I had to graduate. Kali — that’s Deucalion’s mate — told me it was important for me to stay in school. So… not that long? Maybe a few months.”

Isaac nods his head and laughs. “I run with them sometimes,” he mumbles and presses his forehead against the back of Cora’s neck. “I knew they were here for a while and that Ennis came later but…”

“They never told you about little orphan Cora Hale they saved?”

“Pretty much.” Laughing again, Isaac hugs her and nuzzles her a little, wrinkling his nose because she smells like  _them_  but smells like home, too, underneath it all. 

Time ticks by and soon Cora is turning and wrapping her arms around Isaac’s neck, nuzzling him. “Tell me what’s been going on with you these past six years,” she murmurs.

“You’re an aunt,” Isaac says and when she asks who he had a baby with, the Alpha brings Stiles up. Which makes Cora ask a bunch of questions — like where he is, when she can see him again — and when Isaac has to tell her what happened, she asks about Scott.

And Isaac talks about him, telling his little sister about everything he can before another nurse comes in, telling them visiting hours are up. When the Alpha looks at the time, he curses and walks out into the hallway, running a hand through his hair.

“You should go, huh?” Cora asks, hooking her thumbs in her belt loops.

“Yeah but…” Isaac moves over and hugs Cora, kissing the top of her head, smiling when she makes a noise like a purr. “I’ll give you my number and we can get together sometime, alright?”

They exchange numbers and hug one more time before Cora goes one way and Isaac goes the other, nearly bursting into tears as soon as he’s in the elevator.

What are the chances of him finding his baby sister on the same day he finds out Scott can have children  _and_  sees his uncle’s scars go away with some concoction his ex mate’s new mate has made. _  
_

It’s been a long day and when Isaac gets down to the lower level of the hospital, he’s beyond happy and relieved to see Scott waiting for him. He immediately goes up to the human and kisses him hard, backing him up out of the automatic doors.

Scott laughs against Isaac’s mouth and pulls back to mumble, “I take it the treatment went well and Peter’s healing?”

“Yes,” Isaac replies and takes Scott to the car, leaning him against it, kissing the human long and hard for a moment. “And I found out that my baby sister, Cora, is alive.”

“What? Are you serious?”

The Alpha nods and grins. “Deadly. She was going to see Peter and… she’s been with that pack I run with sometimes.”

“Erica and Boyd?”

“No, this is a different pack. They’re all Alphas,” Isaac explains as they get into the car and his hands are shaking so badly that he drops the keys onto the floorboard three times before getting them into the ignition. 

They talk about it on the way home and Isaac can’t stop gushing about her, can’t stop telling Scott everything about Cora that he learned in the short time they were together.

By the time they get back to the apartment, Isaac feels… complete. He has a mate, almost as his uncle back, and has Cora — things can  _only_  go uphill from here, he things.

Later that night, Isaac is still on his high and nothing can bring him down, not even when Deucalion calls him to schedule a dinner with him. He keeps emphasizing that Isaac should bring his mate and while the Alpha would normally find this weird, Isaac gladly accepts the offer.

-

“We’re going to a dinner at the Alphas’ house?” Scott asks later when they’re laying in bed, both sweaty and panting from fucking for two hours before hand. 

Isaac nods and lays his head on Scott’s chest. “It’ll be okay, though,” he whispers, running a hand along the human’s side. “I won’t let anything happen to you and you’ll get to meet Cora.”

“Can’t I just meet her  _here_?”

“Are you worried?”

“About being around a bunch of Alpha werewolves?” Scott snorts and shakes his head, no doubt rolling his eyes at Isaac. “No, I’m completely calm about being in that kind of situation.”

Sighing, Isaac turns to look up at Scott and frowns. “I can cancel,” he says and shrugs a shoulder, leaning up to kiss the other’s cheek. “I can tell Deucalion that we have something else planned and I was so caught up in the heat of the moment that I forgot.”

Silence falls over them and it’s nearly ten minutes later when Scott says, “I guess one night won’t kill me. Plus, I’ll have you right there and you’ll protect me from the big bad wolves.”

“Exactly.” Isaac kisses Scott and holds him close, sighing contently.

The dinner won’t be that bad, Isaac thinks. At least he’ll have Cora there and Deucalion isn’t  _that bad_ ; Kali, maybe, and the twins too but the head of the pack is pretty decent.

Or so Isaac thinks — until the dinner comes.


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Isaac and Scott go to dinner at Deucalion's.... and it doesn't go as planned (for Scott and Isaac).

Isaac should have known something was going on from the get go. Later, when he sits down and thinks about this day, he’ll blame himself for not trusting his instincts. He was, after all, on an emotional high after seeing Cora for the first time in six years.

And what happens, not even Isaac could have seen coming.

 

-

When they get to Deucalion’s house, Isaac isn’t surprised to see that it’s smack dab in the middle of the woods, completely secluded from the rest of the world. Even though werewolves and humans have been living harmoniously together for years and years, some older wolves prefer to be away from society — wolfy or not.

The house is quiet and Isaac can only hear three heartbeats inside — two are normal and one is elevated, like it’s racing. He frowns, wondering who that one could belong to, and wonders where the children are. It’s weird that Kali doesn’t have them there to shove their perfection in Isaac’s face.

“Are you alright?” Scott asks, his voice soft and full of worry.

“Hmm? Oh, yeah, I’m fine.” 

“You don’t  _seem_  fine,” the human murmurs, laying his hand on top of Isaac’s, brushing their thumbs together slowly. “We can always leave and say that I wasn’t feeling well.”

That sounds like a good idea, Isaac thinks, except for the fact that Kali is standing at the door, watching both of them with a wicked grin. God, she gives Isaac the creeps and he really,  _really_  does not want to be there.

With a heavy sigh, Isaac shuts the engine off and turns to kiss Scott, lips lingering for a moment before he pulls away. “You’ll be fine,” he says, hearing how hard the human’s heart is beating. Isaac puts his hand over Scott’s chest and smiles at him, kissing his nose.

After that, they scramble out of the Camaro and walk, hand in hand, to the front door where both Kali and Deucalion are standing. He smiles at the two guests while she just stares at Scott, like she’s trying to find something wrong with him and Isaac growls.

“Now, now,” Deucalion laughs. “No need for that.”

Isaac clenches his jaw and keeps Scott close to his body as they walk into the house and it’s just as beautiful inside as it is out. The living room is spotless and the whole place smells like Cora, which makes Isaac’s heart jump in his chest.

“Scott, is it?” Kali asks, a forced smile on her lips.

The human bites his lip, hand squeezing Isaac’s. “Yep,” he says and licks his lips quickly, looking between Kali and Deucalion, “and you are — ?”

“This is my mate, Kali,” Deucalion answers, touching her arm, “and my name is Deucalion. Has Isaac not told you anything about me?”

“A little.” Scott shrugs and smiles. “Your house is beautiful.”

Kali’s smile brightens for a second before faltering a little. “Thank you,” she says and motions to the living room, asking them to follow her. They obey and all Isaac can think is  _where is my sister_?

Once they’re all seated, Kali starts asking Scott question after question, to which he answers even if he’s a little slow to warm up to them. Fifteen minutes into the question-and-answer portion of the evening, Isaac hears something in the basement, something… like a growl.

“What’s that?” he asks, forehead furrowing.

“Oh, that? Nothing, don’t worry about it.” With a smile, Deucalion stands and claps his hands together before asking if anyone wants something to drink. Scott asks for a beer, Isaac says he’s fine and keeps his hand locked in his mate’s.

Deucalion leaves the room and Kali’s brown eyes settle on Isaac and Scott, a sickeningly sweet smile on her face. “Why, you two are so adorable. I only wish you could have met Ennis and the twins, Scott,” she murmurs.

“Twins?” Scott asks, confused. “You mean your children?”

“No, no, they’re not my children. Though I do have a set of twins of my own, these are older, possibly your age.” Kali grins, her eyes flashing red for a moment before bleeding back to brown. Her mate comes out a moment later, carrying four beers in his hands, setting them down on the table with a sigh.

The conversation is picked up again but Isaac isn’t paying attention, all he can think of is the noise in the basement. There’s pounding, snarling, and growling coming from down there, along with the racing heartbeat…

Deucalion’s voice pulls him out of his reverie.

“Huh?” Isaac asks, blinking at the older wolf.

“I asked when you were planning on having your mating ceremony.”

“Oh.” Shrugging, Issac licks his lips and swallows hard, running a hand down the side of his face. “I’m not sure. Whenever Scott wants to do it and whenever I can get it together.

“I could help,” Kali suggests, cocking her head to the side as she smiles, her eyes settling on Isaac’s face. “I planned Ethan and Danny’s mating ceremony, you know.”

Isaac nods his head and smiles politely. “I’m sure you would do an amazing job but I want the ceremony to be small,” he says and swallows when he hears a pained whimper come from the basement. “Who is that?”

Deucalion and Kali look at one another, their faces smooth and completely devoid of emotions. It’s like they’re having a mental conversation with one another and Isaac is getting impatient.

“Well?”

“That is…” Deucalion pauses and sighs. “Cora.”

At the sound of her name, Cora growls loudly and the pounding noise starts up again, which makes Isaac’s stomach churn. “Why is she down in the basement? She should be up here,” he says.

“Oh, no, she will be — soon.” Kali’s voice is quiet and Isaac can tell she’s grinning even without looking at her, his attention on Deucalion. “Scott, I hope you like lamb,” she says, trying to change the subject.

“Uh… yeah, totally.”

Isaac can’t take it anymore. He drops Scott’s hand and moves through to the kitchen, snarling when he hears someone following him, figuring that Kali got up to stop him. When he sees that it’s just her mate, he calms down a little but continues stalking toward the basement.

“Isaac, I wouldn’t do that.” The older wolf speaks in a soft, yet stern tone and the younger Alpha stops, his body going rigid for a moment.

But then the noise starts up again and Cora whimpers his name.

“Cora,” Isaac says and goes to the basement door, his hand halfway to the knob when he hears someone screaming in the living room and he realizes that Scott is alone…

_With Kali._

Deucalion steps in front of Isaac when he tries to go back into the living room but the younger Alpha just shoves him out of the way, already half shifted by the time he stalks out of the kitchen. And there he sees Scott, sitting on the couch with Kali at his side, her hand to his throat.

She grins and says, “Don’t even  _think_  about doing anything or I’ll rip your pretty little mate’s throat out.”

“Don’t hurt him…” Isaac’s ashamed when he hears his own voice; it’s soft and broken and his words come out shaky. “Don’t hurt  _either_  of them.”

“No, why would we do that?” As he speaks, Deucalion comes up and puts his hands on Isaac’s shoulders, pushing him down into one of the chairs beside the couch. He leans down to whisper in the young man’s ear, “We just want to hurt  _you_.”

“Kill you is more like it,” Kali grumbles and sighs, tapping her claws against Scott’s neck, which Isaac can see is bleeding. 

Isaac’s head is spinning and he closes his eyes for a moment, listening to the noises all around him. Cora in the basement, saying his name and pounding on something; Scott’s heartbeat and quiet whimpering; the noise Kali’s nails make against his skin.

“ _Why_?”

“Why do we want to kill you?” Deucalion laughs and sits down on the couch, putting a hand on Isaac’s knee. “Your baby sister — and  _yes_ , we’ve known about that for a while — is a beta. Do you see our problem?”

It takes a moment for Isaac to get it and he laughs bitterly, opening his eyes to look at the man in front of him. “You want to kill me so she becomes the Alpha,” he mumbles.

“Good job, pup.” Kali’s eyes flash and she opens her mouth, showing her fangs before putting them to the side of Scott’s neck. The human is trembling but his eyes are open and locked on Isaac. “What if we kill you and turn your precious, precious mate?”

“Touch him and I’ll —  _fuck_.” Isaac hisses when Deucalion’s claws sink into his skin and he whimpers, feeling them twist around. “Why - what do you want with  _Scott_?”

The older man hums and drags his nails up Isaac’s leg, digging them into his thigh with a grin. “Because Kali figured you would give up your life for his and I want to see you squirm for a while,” he answers, his eyes shimmering red in the light.

“Let him go and ta — take me.”

“Oh, sweetheart, I’m sorry but it doesn’t work like that. See, I thought it would be more traumatizing for Scott to watch you die,” Kali says, her eyes on Isaac’s face, fingernails scraping along the human’s throat.

Scott gulps and gives Isaac a soft smile. “I’m okay,” he whispers, nodding his head slowly before it’s wrenched back by Kali.

And Isaac cannot take anymore of it. He growls loudly and sinks his own claws into Deucalion’s hand, wrenching it away from is thigh. “You know that if she becomes the Alpha, she’s going to go bat shit insane, right?”

“No she won’t. We’ve trained her well and you know why she’s acting like that? We injected her with a form of wolfsbane that speeds up the transformation process. Basically she thinks it’s the full moon and _if_ we let her out of that basement, she’ll  _rip you apart_.” Deucalion pulls his hand away and stands, smirking. “I think I might do that. Watching a Hale tear another Hale apart will be good entertainment,” he says, sighing wistfully.

Isaac swallows hard and watches the older male walk out of the living room before bringing his attention to Kali, who’s grinning at him. He narrows his eyes and snarls, throwing himself at her, his claws sinking into her biceps.

Scott gets tossed to the floor when the two Alphas wrestle on the couch and Isaac takes a claw to the face, growling as he gets his hands around Kali’s throat.

“Isaac!” Scott shouts and underneath Kali’s snarling, Isaac can hear a low growl come from behind them. He turns to see Cora, her hands bloody and her clothes a mess, standing in the doorway between the kitchen and the living room.

And her eyes are burning gold, her fangs showing.

Before Isaac can react, she’s lunging and the world seems to slow down after what happens next. 

One minute, Scott’s laying on the ground, crying Isaac’s name out and the next he’s acting as a barrier between the feral werewolf and his mate. The world blurs after that and Kali holds Isaac so he can watch as Cora’s claws dig into Scott’s body.

“No!” Isaac shouts, though his voice sounds far off and he doesn’t even  _sound_  like himself, not really. Tears blur his vision as he watches Cora and Scott fall to the ground, blood coming out of the human underneath her.

That seems to kick him into gear and Isaac growls, loud and feral and angry, before sinking his teeth into Kali’s neck. He tears out a huge chunk of her flesh, causing her to scream and even with her nails in his skin, Isaac doesn’t stop.

Not until Deucalion is on his back, anyway. He elbows the older man in the face and knocks him to the ground — but only for a moment. The eldest Alpha is on his feet, blood pouring from the nose Isaac probably broke but is healing now, making a weird crunching noise as it does.

“Let - me - go.” Isaac huffs the words out and lunges, taking Deucalion down to the ground again, going completely wild on him. He sees red — literally — and doesn’t stop tearing at the man underneath him until he hears Scott scream one more time.

The world is hazy when Isaac takes Deucalion’s head in his hands and twists his neck, not even wincing at the sickening  _snap_  that comes. He throws the Alpha’s body down and goes over to where Cora is on top of Scott, her claws going to town on him.

Isaac’s heart drops into his stomach when he sees the blood and he jumps into protective mate mode. Which means he grabs his sister and throws her off, sending her crashing into the fireplace.

Once she’s gone, the Alpha kneels down and looks at Scott, shaky hands running along the wounds on his body. He’s still breathing, though it’s faint, and Isaac has to wonder how something like this could have happened so quickly.

“You’re going to be okay,” he whispers, giving a shaky laugh as he looks up, trying to find Kali but she’s gone. The only thing left behind is the blood on the couch and the little bit of hair Isaac managed to rip out.

Now all he needs to do is take care of Cora. He doesn’t want to kill her and can’t even bring himself to  _think_  of that option, so he does the only thing he can think of: throwing her back into the basement.

When she lunges at him again, Isaac grabs her throat and wrestles her back through the kitchen, groaning when she claws at his face. He has to remind himself that  _this_  is not his Cora; his Cora would never attack him or Scott like this… or would she? It’s been so long, Isaac isn’t even sure if he should trust her anymore.

“I’m sorry,” is all he says before throwing her into the basement and locking the door immediately, listening to Cora throw her body against the other side. He takes a deep breath, swallows, and quickly moves to pick Scott up.

The human whimpers in pain and he’s trying to say something, his lips moving but all that comes out is a soft gurgling noise. “No,” Isaac says as he carries him out to the Camaro, nearly stumbling the entire way before getting there. He opens the door and nearly rips the passenger seat out so he can lay Scott down on the backseat.

Everything that happens from there is all a blur. Isaac remembers putting the car in reverse, the sound of tires squealing and gravel crunching, and can remember Scott saying his name while his heartbeat great dangerously low.

Somehow they make it to Jackson’s house and Stiles answers the door, smiling brightly until he sees Scott laying in Isaac’s arms, bloodied and nearly dead.

“Help,” the Alpha whispers and Stiles brings him inside, taking him to the dining room where he shoves everything off the table. The human is laid down and Isaac cradles his head in both hands, tears streaming down his face. “He’s…”

“I know.” Stiles runs out of the room, calling Jackson’s name. Isaac wonders where Annabel is, wonders if she’ll walk into the room and see Scott lying on the table like this, and his chest tightens.

When Stiles and Jackson come back, Isaac’s got his head laying on Scott’s chest, his curls matted with blood. The doctor pulls him away and looks at the wounds, shaking his head slowly. He talks to Stiles while Isaac sits in a chair in the corner, gasping for air.

No, he thinks, this can’t be happening. I’m dreaming, just like I dream about the fire over and over. Oh my god, this is my fault, it’s my fault for saying yes to the stupid dinner and for  _trusting_  Deucalion.

Jackson says Isaac’s name and the Alpha doesn’t like his tone.

“Nothing can save him,” the doctor says and hesitates for a moment before adding, “unless you bite him.”

Isaac pales at those words and shakes his head. He can’t just turn Scott, not without his consent, but he can’t let him die either. The decision needs to be made quickly, Jackson says, and he puts a hand on Isaac’s shoulder, squeezing it before leaving the room.

The only person left is Stiles and he murmurs, “You need to do it now before it’s too late. He’s  _dying_ , Is, and you can save his life.”

A sob escapes Isaac’s throat and he shakes with it, letting himself cry as he hunches over his knees. Both hands — which are bloody from his own blood, Scott’s, Deucalion’s, and Kali’s — card through his hair, completely matting it.

“Okay.” Isaac swallows and stands, moving to where Stiles is standing next to the table. Scott’s shirt has been cut away and the sight of all those claw marks makes Isaac’s heart ache.

Without another word, the Alpha rolls his head from side to side and growls, his fangs extended when he opens his mouth. He leans down and clamps his teeth on Scott’s hip, sinking them in all the way. Isaac stays like that for a moment and pulls back, choking on the taste of Scott’s blood in his mouth.

“I’ll take care of him from here,” Stiles says, running a hand through Isaac’s hair when he clings to him, sobbing against the human’s chest, hands curled in his shirt. “You should go home, get cleaned up, and come back tonight.”

Isaac nods weakly and manages to whisper, “Where’s Anna?”

“With my dad. He’s been wanting to see her for a while and I let him pick her up about an hour ago.”

“Thank you,” Isaac says and sighs, letting go of Stiles before going to kiss Scott’s lips, feeling his breath. It’s slow and labored which makes the Alpha wonder if the bite will take, a thought that quickly gets tamped down as soon as he's straightened up. Stiles says he'll call if anything changes and for Isaac to come back when he's gotten cleaned up and had some rest.

 

-

The whole way back to the apartment, Isaac blames himself for what happened and he nearly breaks down behind the wheel several times. It isn’t until he’s home and stripped of his bloody clothes that he allows himself to cry once more.

Scott nearly died because of him. Because Isaac was so stupid and had to believe that Deucalion and Kali wouldn’t hurt them. Now he knows that she’ll come back for them, to kill Scott or Isaac — or both — because the Alpha murdered her mate.

God, Isaac hates himself… and that’s the last thought he has before passing out on the shower floor with water falling all around him.


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Scott wakes up after getting the bite.

**[Scott's POV]**

The first time Cora scratches him, Scott screams loudly. He’s never felt a pain so intense and doesn’t even try to fight back, knowing that whatever he could do to her wouldn’t be good enough. A human versus a werewolf isn’t a good fight to be in because, unless armed with wolfsbane, the beast is going to win every single time.

By the dozen or so scratch, Scott’s entire body is numbed by the pain and fire that’s passing through his torso. Blood pours down his chest and stomach, going down his sides only to coat his t-shirt and cause it to stick to his skin.

Scott knows that he’s going to die. He should have known it when they came through the door but Isaac said he was going to be fine and… well,  he trusts Isaac — more than anything.

Everything goes fuzzy and Scott wants to call out for Isaac, wants to tell the Alpha that he loves him just one more time before dying, but there’s something caught in his throat. It’s warm and wet and coppery, causing the human to choke on it as Cora delivers one more blow.

And then her weight is off of him. Scott feels relieved and closes his eyes, his fingers twitching against the hardwood. His fingertips are sticky with blood and there’s some on his lips as well as everywhere else.

Something happens. There’s noise and growling before someone comes back, running their hands over his body, and all Scott can do is twitch a little as the pain flares up again.

When he’s picked up, Scott makes a whimpering noise and after that, it’s mostly just gurgles and soft groans. He thinks, for a split second, that maybe he’s going to Heaven and that the person carrying him is an angel.

Except… they sound like Isaac and Scott wonders, before completely blacking out, if he didn’t have time to save the Alpha. 

After that, Scott passes out.

-

The place he ends up is dark and full of pain. Every little movement sparks a new flame and it spreads across Scott’s body like a forest fire, consuming everything. It hurts more than anything Scott’s experienced and he wants to scream at someone to help him but he’s locked inside of his own mind.

Voices are all around him and someone says his name, though Scott can’t place who the voice belongs to. He wonders if they’re angels and is comforted by the idea of being in Heaven after everything he’s done.

But then the voices go away and the fire grows. It builds and builds until every inch of Scott’s skin feels like it’s being licked by flames. It causes him to scream inside of his head and he wants to move, wants to pull anything away from the fire, but can’t.

Okay, so, maybe Scott really did go to Hell for the things he’s done but they couldn’t have been that bad. Yes, he stole when he was twelve years old and he had sex with an already-mated person but it’s not like he  _killed_  someone.

The fire is unbearable and the noises are back. Someone says his name again and he wants to tell him to dump ice water on him, to get rid of the flames that have taken over his body, but he can’t. He can’t say a damn thing and maybe that’s his punishment: to burn for eternity and never be able to ask for help.

And the pain stays for what seems like forever before slowly fading.

It starts with the fire and Scott gets some relief. He isn’t screaming inside of his own mind anymore and soon he feels… cool. It’s a nice feeling, especially after being burned for so long, and soon the pain starts to go away as well.

Little by little, Scott comes back into himself. He moves his hand, just barely flicking his finger toward his thigh, and is surprised when it  _actually_  moves. A voice fills his ears and someone says his name, says that he’s waking up, and Scott frowns.

Waking up? How can he wake up if he’s dead?

“Scott?” The voice is so close and Scott makes a noise, turning his head toward the person standing beside the table. He doesn’t want to open his eyes in fear of seeing something horrible — like demons with burning flesh or the Devil himself.

But when the person says his name again, he has to open his eyes.

And what he sees is… magnificent.

The colours are much brighter than they used to be and Scott can literally see every stitch in the shirt in front of him. He lifts a hand to touch it and groans, his joints protesting the movement.

“Scott, can you hear me?” A weak nod. “It’s Stiles — Stilinski.”

Stiles… what was he doing in Scott’s Heaven?

Another voice joins in to say, “And Jackson Whittemore.”

Huh. Maybe he wasn’t in Heaven. Maybe Scott survived the whole ordeal and he had been in a coma for a long time. Jackson was a doctor, after all, so maybe he helped with Scott’s recovery.

“Isaac,” Scott croaks.

“He’ll be here soon,” Stiles replies and touches his forehead. “Just rest for now, okay? You’ve had a long weekend.”

Weekend? What the hell was going on?

Scott swallows hard, tasting blood in his mouth, and closes his eyes again, letting his mind process what he’s been told so far. Isaac isn’t there and apparently Scott had been out all weekend… which told him absolutely nothing.

Frowning, he moved a hand and touched his bare torso. He expected to find bandages covering the wounds or maybe even scars from the incident but when he ran his fingers along his stomach, all Scott could feel was smooth skin.

Smooth, completely flawless skin.

“What — what’s going on?” Scott asks, opening his eyes to look at Jackson.

The doctor purses his lips and says, “You were in a terrible accident. Cora Hale attacked you at Deucalion’s house and did a number on you. You would have died but… Isaac saved you.”

“Isaac — saved me?”

“We wanted to let him tell you,” Stiles says and sighs, “but I guess it won’t hurt to tell you now. None of us thought you would be awake for a while and he was hoping to be here when it happened.”

Scott makes a face and swallows again. “Tell me,” he whispers.

“Isaac bit you.” Jackson’s voice is soft and he puts a hand on Scott’s shoulder, squeezing it lightly. “It was the only thing that could have been done in this situation,” he explains with a smile and Scott’s eyebrows pinch together. He can hear the doctor’s heartbeat and it’s steady, if not a little elevated, and Scott nods.

“Do you want something to drink?” It’s Stiles who speaks this time and Scott just nods his head again before sitting up. 

It’s like a chore, sitting is, but Scott manages it with a little help from Jackson, who insists on checking him out. “Just to make sure it went okay,” he says and begins to poke and prod at Scott’s body.

By the time he’s done, Stiles has come back with a bottle of water and he’s smiling, handing it out to Scott. He takes it with a shaky hand and downs half the contents before pouring it over his body, still feeling the after burn from the fire.

“So I’m a wolf,” Scott says; Jackson and Stiles both bob their heads a little, looking concerned. “And Isaac… he’s okay?”

Stiles chews on his lip and shrugs. “He’s been kind of upset for the past three days. Cora, his sister, was the one that attacked you and she was heavily drugged. There was a tremendous amount of wolfsbane in her system and she’s been detoxifying since the attack,” he murmurs.

Now it’s all coming back to Scott. He can remember the Alphas talking about triggering her transformation so she thought it was the full moon and wanting her to kill Isaac. The memories make Scott shudder and Stiles runs from the room, coming back with a blanket.

The material is draped over his shoulders but Scott is still shivering, his heart pounding in his chest as he remembers. The pain and the fire and the claws that dug into his skin like it was nothing.

“Calm down,” Jackson says and his hands are on Scott’s shoulders, holding him tightly. “It’s all over now and nothing is going to happen. You survived the attack because Isaac had good timing and brought you to me just in time. Had he waited a few minutes more, you probably would have died.”

“Jackson,” Stiles hisses, smacking his arm. “The important thing is that you’re safe, Isaac is going to be fine, and Cora is almost completely back to normal.”

Scott swallows hard and shakes his head. “I should have died,” he mumbles and brings his knees to his chest, resting his head on top of them. He notices, for the first time, that he’s in a pair of sweatpants that smell  _amazing_. “What’s that smell?”

“What smell?” 

“On these pants…” Scott sniffs them and hums. “They smell good.”

A laugh bubbles up from Jackson’s throat before he says, “Those are Isaac’s. You’re smelling your mate’s true scent for the first time.”

“Oh.” The thought makes Scott smile and he continues to breathe in Isaac’s scent before he’s hit with it again. It’s stronger this time and a fourth heartbeat fills the house. “Is that…”

“Jackson? Stiles?” Isaac calls out as he comes into the dining room where everyone is and Scott jumps off the table, though his muscles and joints protest his every move.

Before he can think about what he’s doing, Scott grabs Isaac’s face in his hands and kisses him, long and hard. The Alpha tastes — and  _smells_  — amazing, like nothing Scott has ever come across before and he moans against Isaac’s mouth.

When they ease apart, Scott whispers, “Thank you for saving me.”

“Thank  _you_  for saving me… even if it was stupid,” Isaac replies and it takes all Scott has in him not to cry. He fucked up; he threw himself in the line of fire to save his mate and didn’t think about what would happen to Isaac if  _he_  died.

Jackson and Stiles leave the room a moment later. Scott watches them leave and then pulls away to look at Isaac, taking him in. He breathes the Alpha’s scent in and feels his heart thump wildly against his ribs.

“You smell fucking amazing,” he murmurs and Isaac laughs before kissing him again, peppering his face with small kisses. Scott chuckles and gets his fingers in Isaac’s hair, playing with his curls.

Now that he can hear and smell everything, Scott wants to go outside, wants to see what other things he can smell but doesn’t know if that’s such a good idea or not. He wonders if he should ask Isaac and gets hit with a kind of huge question.

“Am I your, like, son now?”

“What?” Isaac asks, nearly laughing.

Scott wrinkles his nose and sighs. “You know on that show, Being Human? Well, when the werewolves and the vampires created someone they called them their  _sons_  or  _daughters_. Is that what I am to you?”

“No,” the Alpha murmurs, running his hand along Scott’s cheek, which makes him purr low in his throat. “You’re still my mate — except now you’ll be able to feel our connection.”

And it was true; even though Isaac had only been there for a few minutes, Scott could definitely feel this sort of… pull to him. He liked it and liked that he would feel that way for the rest of his life.

“So… what happened? Everything is kind of fuzzy.”

“I’ll give you the short version.” As he speaks, Isaac gathers Scott’s hands in his own and takes him into the living room. The whole place smells good but not as good as Isaac does, Scott decides, and he pushes the Alpha down onto the couch before sitting on his lap.

Isaac laughs and loops his arms around Scott’s middle. “Deucalion and Kali had a plan to kill me so Cora would become the Alpha. They wanted to have her in their pack and, well, she couldn’t be because she’s a beta,” he explains and Scott nods.

“But what about Peter?”

“Peter… well, we don’t know about him yet.” Isaac sighs and Scott nuzzles him a little, telling him to go on. “Anyway. Kali threatened you and I attacked her… then Cora was let out of the basement. You threw yourself in front of her and she…”

Scott swallows and nuzzles Isaac again. “It’s okay,” he whispers, smiling.

“She attacked you and I went into a fit of rage. Killed Deucalion with my bare hands and Kali ran off but I managed to get Cora off of you. Then I brought you here, where Jackson and Stiles told me that nothing would save you but turning you and… that’s it.”

“But I was out for three days. Is that normal?”

The Alpha shakes his head and kisses Scott gently. “Jackson also sedated you for a while but said that he could hear you whimpering down here from the pain. It took three days for all of your wounds to heal — both on the inside and the out,” he murmurs.

So Isaac’s ex-mate and his now-current mate saved Scott’s life. He hated to be indebted to them for the rest of his life but he kind of owed them everything. Without them suggesting Isaac bite him, Scott wouldn’t be alive and who knows what would have happened to the Alpha.

“And what about Kali — have you found her?” Scott asks in a quiet voice, pressing his forehead against Isaac’s.

“Not yet and I haven’t seen anyone in that pack. Cora is in the hospital, under heavy guard, and they’ve been instructed not to let anyone that looks like the members of the Alpha pack near her.”

When Isaac brings the hospital up, Scott’s breath catches in his throat and he swallows. “Does my mom…”

“Know that I bit you?” Isaac asks and Scott nods numbly. “I told her that night and she cried for a while. Mostly because you almost died, I think, but she’s okay with it,” he mutters.

Scott’s throat closes up and he buries his face against Isaac’s neck for a while, just sitting there listening to the world around him. It isn’t until Stiles and Jackson come back down that he moves away from the Alpha to awkwardly hug both of them. 

They say goodbye and Isaac takes Scott home. Once they set foot outside, though, the new wolf can’t take his eyes off of the world around them, marveling at the colours all around.

Isaac just laughs and kisses him in the car, which smells heavily of cleaner and bleach. before taking him back to the apartment.


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cora comes home.

It doesn’t take long for Scott to get the hang of his new life and while Isaac is terrified of something happening to him in public, he lets his mate go home after spending two days doing “Werewolf 101” with him. 

While Scott goes home to do things, Isaac decides to work around the apartment to keep his mind off of everything that’s happened. He’s still keeping an eye out for Kali, still wants to tear her limb from limb, but that’s pushed to the back burner for now.

For now Isaac’s number one priority is trying to make up a room for Cora to stay in when she gets out of the hospital. This was a project that he started a few days ago, while Scott was healing, but with his mate being home Isaac hasn’t had the time to do anything — until now.

Sighing heavily, Isaac goes into the extra room and looks around. He put a bed in there and shoved it against the wall, adding a few more pieces of furniture he knew Cora would need: a desk, a dresser, a small bookshelf — though the shelf isn’t built yet. There’s a coat of cream-coloured paint on the wall and Isaac wonders, briefly, if he could persuade his landlord into letting him paint over it.

Isaac forgets about that and goes over to where he laid the box for the bookshelf down at, dropping onto his knees in front of it. He takes each piece out, setting them down one by one before picking the instructions up out of the box, humming.

It takes Isaac half an hour to put the damn shelf together and it sits in the corner, the black wood contrasting against the colour of the walls. It looks like a room that any teenage girl would be moderately happy with and once he’s proud of himself, Isaac gets changed.

Today is another treatment day for Peter and Isaac knows that he owes Jackson a lot for doing… well, for doing everything for his family. He’s still treating Peter for free and continues to check up on Scott, though it’s mostly house calls and Skype sessions. 

And to think, Isaac wanted to rip him apart at one point.

When he’s dressed and ready to go, Isaac grabs his things, stuffing his wallet and phone into separate pockets as he makes his way out of the apartment. The walk down to the parking lot is filled with a bunch of ‘what if’ questions and the one popping up in Isaac’s mind the most is: what if Peter comes back to life?

He’s not dead, no, but Isaac knows that being in a catatonic state for six years is bound to kill a couple hundred or so brain cells. So he’s been as good as dead since the fire and Isaac can only image having his uncle Peter back. The smiling, happy man that Isaac had looked up to — third to his father and Derek, of course.

Derek. God, Isaac misses him and Laura, too.

Pushing those thoughts from his mind, Isaac climbs into the Camaro, starts the engine, and backs out of his parking space. He shifts gears and pulls out of the parking lot, speeding a little as he heads to the hospital, his heart hammering in his chest.

The last treatment they did for Peter took more burns away. The doctors were monitoring everything: his heart, his blood pressure, and even started monitoring his brain activity. It was all confusing to Isaac, so whenever they started to explain what was going on, all he could do was smile and nod as he listened.

What he did understand was this: Peter’s vitals were, overall, mostly okay and if the treatments continued to work, they could expect to see a full recovery with the burns. The mental wounds…. those would take a little longer to heal, though the doctors weren’t going to stop until they hit a breakthrough.

Isaac continued to think about what would happen if Peter got better and could leave the hospital. He would, without a doubt, come to live with the Alpha and Cora — which would mean a bigger house. Fuck, Isaac really needed to go house shopping. 

Maybe he’d get Lydia and Erica to take him..

When he gets to the hospital, Isaac parks the Camaro and sits behind the wheel for a moment, letting the engine idle. He shuts it off, gets out, and goes inside, walking past the nurse’s station where Melissa is usually sitting but, Isaac thinks, today must be her day off.

A smile spreads across Isaac’s face when he thinks about Scott spending some time with his mother and he hopes nothing goes wrong. His smile drops when he gets into the elevator and he wonders if maybe he should text his mate, just to ask if everything’s fine.

But then the elevator stops and dings, the doors opening to show the burn ward to Isaac. He shivers, never having liked being on this floor before, and walks down the maze of halls before getting to Peter’s room.

There are three people in the room, besides Peter himself, and Isaac nods to the nurses and doctor he’s become acquainted with. He stands in the corner, watching as Dr. Harris applies the ointment to what’s left of the burns on Peter’s face. They start to disappear almost immediately and Isaac still thinks it’s surreal, even if he’s seen it done a few times before.

“There you go, Mr. Hale.” Dr. Harris puts the top back on the tub and turns to look at Isaac, smiling brightly. “Afternoon, Isaac. We’re just about done here and then you can go ahead and visit,” he says and the Alpha just nods his head.

One of the nurses takes blood with the other checks Peter’s vitals, writing things down on the clipboard in her hands. When they’re done, all three hustle out of the room, throwing smiles Isaac’s way.

“You’re looking good,” he says to Peter, who probably can’t even hear him but Isaac keeps talking, anyway. It makes him feel less guilty for never visiting. “The treatment really is working, huh?”

Nothing.

“I think Cora is being let out today. Maybe we’ll come by and see you. I bet you’d like that, huh?” Isaac sits down in a chair across from Peter’s wheelchair and sighs, leaning back.

For a moment, nothing happens and Isaac doesn’t speak. Until, that is, one of his uncle’s fingers start moving and he makes a little grunting sound, the noise full of panic.

Isaac’s chest tightens and he leans forward, putting a hand on Peter’s knee, shushing him quietly. “It’s okay, Peter. Nothing is happening, remember? Just you and me, in the hospital,” he whispers.

The touch seems to calm Peter and he stops making noise, though his fingers twitch just a little more. Isaac, feeling relieved, puts his hand in his uncle’s and squeezes lightly, chuckling.

“I hope you get better soon. Maybe one of these days you can get out of here and come live with me. I know you’re far from being one hundred percent but… maybe you can come back to work.” 

Another grunt.

“Is that a yes?” Isaac asks, smirking when Peter grunts again. It’s the most communication his uncle has done since Isaac started visiting and he couldn’t be happier. The treatments are working and Isaac’s life is slowly returning to normal, though he knows it’ll never be the same as it was before the fire.

Sighing heavily, Isaac stands and leans over to hug Peter gently, patting his shoulder as he pulls away. He promises to come back and visit him, maybe even bring Cora and Scott and Annabel now that his scars are mostly gone. 

Peter makes the grunting noise again as Isaac’s leaving and the Alpha walks down the hall, going to the bank of elevators. The hospital is slow for once but there’s a bunch of noise going on, so much that it makes Isaac’s head buzz and spin.

Once inside the elevator, he hits the button for the level Cora’s on and stuffs his hands into his pockets, thinking about the tattoo on his forearm and the paw prints. One of them isn’t needed because Cora is alive and back in Isaac’s life but… he likes the thought of having a tattoo for her anyway. 

And as he steps out into the hall, Isaac thinks about getting a tattoo for Scott and then one for Peter. Ideas flood into his mind as he walks down to where Cora’s room is, smiling at the two large men standing outside the door.

“Afternoon,” he says to them and slips into the room, smiling when he sees that Cora is sitting up, braiding her hair. She looks up and returns the smile before securing the braid with a hair tie.

“Hey,” she whispers and motions for Isaac to come closer.

“How’re you feeling?”

Cora shrugs, tucking one leg under the other. “Like I was drugged by some psycho werewolves that wanted me to join their Alpha cult,” she admits and laughs, her eyes settling on Isaac’s face. “How about you?”

“I’m good.” Isaac sits down on the edge of the bed, taking one of Cora’s hands in his own, brushing their thumbs together. “Scott’s doing just fine and I’m… still reeling a bit from what happened but that’s to be expected, huh?”

“I’m sorry.” This is something Cora has said to Isaac a dozen times since she became lucid and remembered what happened. Even though her brother told her not to apologize, she keeps doing it, and now he just smiles at her whenever she says she’s sorry.

Silence falls between them and Isaac clears his throat before asking, “I heard you might be coming home today. Is that true?”

“Maybe. My doctor is coming back in to check me and make sure all the wolfsbane is out of my system before letting me go.” Cora pauses, biting down on her lower lip before muttering, “Am I going home with you?”

“Of course. Where else would you go?” The look on Cora’s face when he says that tells Isaac she thinks he’s going to feed her to the Alpha pack and he laughs. “I’m not letting you go back to them. You’re going to stay with me, get enrolled in high school, and have a normal life,” he replies, squeezing her hand gently.

Cora smiles and leans over, wrapping both arms around Isaac’s neck, holding onto him tightly. “Does Scott hate me?”

“No,” Isaac says carefully, “Scott doesn’t hate you.”

“He should.”

“Well he doesn’t. I explained what happened and he understands. He’s also excited to meet you formally this time.” Isaac nudges Cora a little and laughs when she pokes him lightly in the ribs.

“And Annabel?” Cora asks, her eyes soft and half-lidded.

Isaac nods his head and grins. “She wants to meet you, too, and she also can’t wait to meet the new and improved wolf Scott,” he says, which has them both laughing until the doctor comes in.

Isaac moves off the bed and stands near the door while Cora is being checked out, listening to the sounds of the hospital. He leans against the wall, making faces at his sister until she glares at him, and grins.

It takes fifteen minutes for Cora’s checkup and the doctor says she’s cleared to leave whenever she wants, so long as that’s what Isaac wants. If he wants to keep her there for a little while longer, they can run more tests, but the Alpha shakes his head.

“Get dressed and let’s get out of here,” he says once the doctor’s left, helping Cora with the privacy curtain. Once that’s in place, Isaac pulls his phone out of his pocket and texts Scott.

 **[to: Scott]**  Cora and I are headed home. How’s everything with you?

A minute later, Scott replies.

 **[to: Isaac]**  Things are fine. Mom wouldn’t let go of me for the first ten minutes I was here and now we’re discussing all the days of school I missed.

 **[to: Scott]**  Oh, yeah, sorry about that. You’ll have to make those up soon, huh?

 **[to: Isaac]**  Yep, but that’s fine. I can do it. Tell Cora I said hey and I’ll see you guys later tonight, okay?

 **[to: Scott]**  Will do. Tell your mom I said hello, please? I love you.

 **[to: Isaac]**  Already did. Love you, too.

Isaac puts his phone away and looks up, watching the curtain being pushed away as Cora moves off the bed. She’s wearing a pair of clothes Isaac had gotten from the Alpha house for her and she looks… a lot better now that she’s dressed.

“Come on, let’s get you out of here.” 

Cora grins and grabs her bag, slinging it over one shoulder as she walks over to Isaac, wrapping an arm around his waist. His arm snakes around her shoulders and the two of them walk out of the room, heading down the hall to the elevators.

The bodyguards follow them until they’re outside and standing by the car, which is when Isaac tells them they’re no longer needed. He pays them, smiles, and gets into the Camaro. The engine starts up quickly and he throws a glance at Cora, who’s settled against the seat, and pulls out of the space.

During the whole ride home, Isaac tells Cora all about her new room and Annabel and Scott and even tells her about Stiles and Jackson. The two of them are part of Isaac’s life forever, seeing as he has a child with Stiles but also because of their help with Cora and Scott.

When they get to their building, Isaac takes Cora upstairs to his apartment and shows her around, pointing out where things are to her before asking what she wants for dinner. She tells him and he makes a list for when he goes to the grocery store later.

Isaac and Cora sit on the couch together, her head on his shoulder as they watch a movie on television. They stay like that until Scott comes over, carrying a bakery box filled with cupcakes, and Cora goes to town on them while the other wolves laugh at her.

Things, Isaac decides, are going to be just fine. How could they not be when he’s got an amazing mate, a wonderful child, and his sister back in his life?


	16. Chapter 16

Later that night, Annabel comes home to meet Cora and to see Scott since his transformation. They’ve been keeping her away from both wolves, just in case they snap on her, and Isaac’s still a bit wary about Scott, though his mate assures him, over and over, that nothing is going to happen.

When Stiles carries her into the house, the first thing Annabel does is still in her father’s arms, her head perked up. She smells the air and looks to where Scott, Isaac, and Cora are sitting on the couch; the Alpha is sitting between them, his back ramrod straight.

"Daddy," she says and squirms in Stiles’ arms until he lets her down. 

Isaac smiles and holds his hands out, watching as Annabel comes running toward him, clambering onto his lap. “Hey, baby girl."

"Wolf." Annabel points to Scott, who’s smiling softly, and Isaac nods.

"Yes," he says, pushing a few stray curls away from her forehead, “Scott’s a wolf now."

Annabel scrunches her face up and looks at Scott for a few more seconds before flicking her gaze to Cora. She leans against Isaac’s chest and curls up a little, her eyes never leaving the beta’s.

A few long, silent moments pass before Annabel holds her hand out to Cora, giving her a little smile. “Pack?"

"Pack," Cora says, putting her hand in Annabel’s with a smile.

The next thing that happens has all of them laughing. Annabel sits on Isaac’s knees and tips her head back, howling; she makes a few meek ‘ _ow-ow-oww_ ’s and giggles.

Scott tips his head back and mimics her, which causes the little girl to erupt into another fit of giggles. “That’s funny, huh? I can’t howl as well as you can," the beta murmurs, tickling Annabel’s stomach.

"Well," Stiles says from the door, slipping a bag off his shoulder before setting it down with a smile, “I should get going."

"Hey, could you wait a minute?" Isaac asks and Stiles nods, slipping his hands into his pockets. The Alpha hands a squealing Annabel over to Scott and kisses the top of her head before excusing himself. He guides Stiles outside, shutting the door behind both of them before walking down to the parking lot.

When they get to Stiles’ Jeep, Isaac leans against it and sighs. “Thank you," he says and crosses his arms over his chest, smiling.

"You don’t have to thank me," Stiles mumbles, grinning, “but you’re welcome for whatever I did."

"For taking care of Annabel and helping with Scott and Cora. I don’t know what I’d do without you — or Jackson."

Stiles rolls his eyes and claps a hand on Isaac’s shoulder, squeezing lightly. “That’s what family is for, right? I know we’re not together anymore but we have a daughter and we’re  _always_  going to be in each other’s lives," he mumbles and Isaac nods slowly. “Plus, Jackson likes you and he likes Scott."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

"Well," the Alpha starts, sighing heavily, “I  _guess_  I like him, too. He’s a good guy and a great doctor. He’s done more for me than he should have and I’m grateful for it all."

A laugh bubbles up from Stiles’ throat and he hugs Isaac tightly, pulling back after a moment, looking up at him. “So," he says and licks his lips quickly, “when are you doing your mating ceremony?"

"Who told you about that?"

"I hear things, Lahey." The Alpha pokes Stiles in the ribs and the human laughs, swatting his hand away. “No, seriously, when are you doing it?"

Isaac shrugs and sighs. “I dunno, soon maybe? I mean, now that he’s a wolf there’s really no reason for us to delay it and I want it to be set in stone soon," he replies, looking at Stiles. “What about you and Jackson?"

"In a few months."

"Sheriff Stilinski will be happy about that, his son finally being mated."

"Shut up," Stiles mumbles, blushing. “We’re going to do the ceremony and wait a while before we actually get married. Jackson wants to wait until I’m pregnant to do that."

Isaac quirks a brow and looks down at Stiles’ stomach. “You guys are trying?"

"Yeah, we are."

"Well, congratulations!" Isaac laughs and claps a hand on Stiles’ shoulder, rubbing it gently. “I don’t know if Scott and I are going to try any time soon. We just found out that he  _can_  get pregnant and now that he’s a wolf, I’m not sure if it’s a good idea."

Stiles snorts and shakes his head. “Of course it’s a good idea — but you should wait for the mating ceremony, hmm?"

The Alpha thinks about that for a moment and shrugs, making a comment about them not exactly being careful. Stiles smacks his arm lightly, which causes Isaac’s eyes to flash red, and he calms down a few seconds later.

"You should get going," Isaac says and pushes off the Jeep, running a hand through his hair. “Oh, hey."

"Hmm?"

"Thank your dad for me, too."

"I will," Stiles agrees and smiles, opening the driver’s side door before hopping in. He says goodbye and waves to Isaac before starting the engine and disappearing a few minutes later.

When Isaac gets back inside, Annabel is jumping on the couch between Cora and Scott, giggling. The betas are smiling and catching her whenever she comes their way before letting her go to the other one. All three look up when the Alpha walks into the living room and Annabel throws herself at her father.

"Did you have a good time at Papa and Jackson’s?" Isaac asks when he’s got his daughter situated on his hip. Annabel squeals and nods, trying to say Jackson’s name but it comes out as ‘Jacks’ so that’s what they settle on calling him. 

Isaac carries her over to the couch and sits down between Cora and Scott, all three of them listening to Annabel babble. She’s two and can’t say much, but she still tries to talk — mostly making noises and trying to form words together.

"She’s adorable, Isaac," Cora murmurs, running a finger through Annabel’s curls, laughing when she turns to nip at it. “And feisty."

"Gets that from Stiles," the Alpha replies and laughs, handing the toddler over to Cora, who wraps both arms around her. “She loves you already."

"Of course she does — and so does Scott."

When his name is spoken, Scott looks up and grins. “I can’t help it; she smells like you do and she’s pretty funny," he says.

"I wasn’t going to blame you for liking her already," Isaac mumbles and laughs, leaning over to kiss Scott’s lips quickly. “How was the visit with your mom?"

"Oh, um…" 

"I’m gonna…" Cora motions toward the hall and lifts Annabel up, carrying her in that direction. The bedroom door shuts and even though the wolves are alone in the room, they don’t have complete privacy.

Isaac turns and looks at Scott, eyebrows lifted expectantly.

"It was going pretty good, you know, but then she started to worry about the Alphas coming after her because I was visiting," Scott says, dragging his teeth along his lower lip. “I told her that no one was going to come for her but… then I started to panic, too?"

"Scott.."

"That’s not going to happen… right?"

The Alpha takes a deep breath and shrugs. “Honestly? I don’t know but if it does and your mother is hurt, I can save her, too," he whispers.

"You mean bite her," Scott breathes.

"Yes, bite her. I wouldn’t let anything happen to you or your mother, Scott, and if something does happen I’ll fix it."

Silence washes over them and Scott sighs, coming over to curl up beside Isaac, both arms wrapping around his waist. The Alpha slips an arm around his mate’s shoulders and squeezes, rubbing his free hand along Scott’s arm slowly.

"Everything is going to be fine," he promises in a soft voice.

"I know," Scott says and smiles. “I can hear it in your heartbeat."

Isaac grins and kisses the top of Scott’s head. “I forgot you can do that now," he confesses.

"Me too. This is all so new to me that I kind of forget that I can run really fast and change into this huge monster."

"But you’re not a monster," Isaac points out, moving his hand up to run his fingers through Scott’s hair. “You’re not going to hurt anyone."

Scott snorts and mumbles, “And what if I do?"

"You won’t."

"But — " the beta starts, but Isaac stops him.

The Alpha tilts his head up and presses their lips together, kissing him slowly for a moment before pulling back. “I’m not going to let you and as long as you remember your anchor, you’ll be fine," he breathes.

The subject is dropped after Scott nods his head and Cora brings Annabel back out into the living room. The family spends the rest of the night watching movies and eating dinner together, giving Isaac a glimpse of what his life is going to be like from now on.

 

-

Annabel falls asleep in Cora’s bed that night and Isaac lets her sleep there, knowing that she’s completely safe with her aunt. He kisses both of their heads, whispers goodnight, and joins Scott outside. The beta is leaning against the rail with a bottle of beer in his hand and his head tipped back, looking at the stars.

"Hey," Isaac whispers as he steps out of the apartment, shutting the door behind him. He comes over and wraps his arms around Scott’s waist, kissing the side of his head gently.

"So… we should talk about a mating ceremony, huh?"

"Probably."

Scott takes a long sip of beer and hums, turning to look at Isaac with a small smile on his face. “The sooner the better," he mumbles and then laughs, nudging the Alpha’s ribs with his elbow. “What goes on at one of these things, exactly?"

"Well… it happens in front of our friends, family, and pack members — assuming that we  _have_  any, of course," Isaac explains, pausing to breath in deeply and set his chin on Scott’s shoulder. “Usually a person who does magic — some kind of witch — performs the ceremony. It’s pretty simple; for two werewolves that are getting mated, there are two collars and for one werewolf and a human there’s only one. We’ll have two, so they’ll both be blessed and the witch will say a few words and you’ll put the collar on me, then I’ll put the collar on you, and we’ll be symbolically — as well as magically — bound for life."

Scott blows out a long breath and nods. “And can we still get married after this happens?"

"Of course. Marriage and Mating are two different things. Mating just means that I’m yours forever and you’re mine. Marriage gives us the benefits we need as a family."

"Cool." Scott smiles and kisses Isaac’s nose. “So is Stiles going to do our ceremony or no?"

Isaac shakes his head. “No, Stiles can’t do it because he’s not that kind of witch," he mumbles.

"So who will do it?"

"There are a lot of people that can do it, we’ll just have to look around and talk to some that know what they’re doing." Isaac smiles and kisses the corner of Scott’s mouth, nuzzling his face a little.

A sigh escapes Scott’s throat and he smiles. “I want to do it soon and then I want to get married," he says, tipping his head to the side when Isaac starts to move down, nosing along his pulse.

"You want to be Scott Lahey?"

"Mmm…" Scott moans and nods, moving a hand up to thread his fingers in the Alpha’s hair, tugging him closer. “Scott Lahey. I like the sound of that," he whispers, moaning sharply when Isaac bites his neck.

Grinning, Isaac nods and licks a stripe up Scott’s neck. “Me too," he agrees and pulls back, his hands resting on the beta’s hips. “Let’s go inside, okay?"

"Are we going to have sex?" Scott asks as he turns around, following Isaac back inside with a grin on his face.

"Maybe — if you can be quiet."

"Is that a challenge?" 

Isaac’s eyes flash red and he grins, fangs slightly extended. “Maybe."

 

-

They end up in Isaac’s bed five minutes later. Clothes get thrown all over the place and they’re down to their underwear when someone knocks on the door, causing both men to still. Isaac gets off the mattress and pulls on a pair of pajama pants and a t-shirt before going over to the door.

Outside in the hall, Cora is standing with Annabel on her hip, both of them looking sad and Isaac’s heart drops into the pit of his stomach.

"Can we sleep in here tonight?" 

Isaac looks back at Scott, who’s just pulled on a pair of sweats and a tank top, and then back at his sister, nodding. “Yeah," he says and opens the door wider, watching as Cora carries Annabel into the room.

When the door is shut and the lights are off, the Alpha moves over to the bed where Scott, Cora, and Annabel are already laying. Anna is curled up against Scott’s side and Cora clings to Isaac when he slips underneath the blankets.

"What’s wrong?" Isaac asks her as he wraps both arms around her shoulders, pulling her close. Cora just shakes her head and buries her face against his neck, breathing in and out shakily.

A few minutes later, she mumbles, “I had a bad dream."

Isaac’s heart drops even more and he nods, kissing the top of Cora’s head before settling against the mattress. He looks over at Scott, who looks back at him with a smile, and the four wolves fall asleep, all situated on the bed comfortably.

No nightmares plague anyone’s sleep that night.


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Scott's first full moon.

Things for Isaac’s little pack pretty much stay the same after that — but the one thing that changes is that Cora gets enrolled into the local high school, after Isaac tells her the importance of graduating. He hires a tutor for her so she can get caught up to speed on whatever she’s missed.

Scott goes back to school, too, and makes up the classes he missed when Jackson put him in the drug-induced coma for three days. He gets back on track as well and Isaac’s proud of both his mate and his sister for going back to school.

And things between the Alpha and his mate? Well, they’re  _better_  than ever before; they spend all of their free time together and Scott spends the weekends at Isaac’s place with the family. They make plans for their mating ceremony and even have Jackson and Stiles over a few times.

When the full moon gets closer, Isaac starts to wonder if maybe Scott would be better off being locked up during the night. He knows that the first moon for new wolves isn’t the best and that sometimes they can go off the grid, could hurt someone.

But Scott insists, over and over, that he’ll be fine — as long as Isaac is there and that’s what breaks him down, making him agree to take Scott with them.

 

-

The day of the full moon is full of tension. Isaac can feel it whenever he’s around Scott and Cora, can feel how the change is affecting them. He tries to calm them down, telling them to wait until they’re in the woods to do anything stupid, and it eventually works.

Stiles picks Annabel up an hour before the wolves leave and takes her to Sheriff Stilinski’s house, where she’ll be completely safe. Then he goes to work while the others embark on yet another full moon and another hunting trip.

Before they leave, Isaac packs three bags for all of them. He stashes them in the Camaro, makes sure that everything is off in the house, and takes Cora and Scott down to the car. Cora sits in the back, biting her nails, and Scott curls up in the passenger seat.

"It’s going to be fine," Isaac tells them as he drives out to the woods where he’s meeting up with the rest of the pack. He puts a hand in Scott’s and brushes their thumbs together, rubbing the joint of his mate’s thumb with the pad of his own.

Cora whimpers in the backseat and Scott reaches back with his free hand to grab hers, lacing their fingers together. “It  _hurts_ ," she mumbles and Isaac realizes this is the first full moon since being drugged.

"It won’t hurt when we get there, I promise." The Alpha smiles in the rear view mirror and squeezes Scott’s hand, who squeezes Cora’s, and they all grow silent for the rest of the trip. 

When they finally get to the woods, Isaac can see that everyone is already there and of course they are; he’s  _always_  the late one. He parks next to Allison’s car, takes his hand away from Scott’s, and climbs out, watching as the pack comes over. Clothed, thankfully.

"Who’s this?" Lydia asks, her arm wrapped tightly around Erica’s waist, her eyes looking at Scott in the passenger side.

"My mate," Isaac answers and goes around to open the door for Scott, helping him out of the car, frowning when he feels how hot he is. “You’re going to be fine, okay? Promise," he whispers, leaning down to kiss Scott softly, which makes him push the Alpha back against Allison’s car.

And the alarm goes off.

Scott whines and pulls away, wrinkling his nose. “Oh my god, that hurts like a motherfucker. Please shut it up," he mumbles.

"Sorry, sorry!" Allison says, fumbling for the keys in her pocket. She hits the button when she has them and huffs out a long breath, smiling brightly when Scott looks at her. “How are you holding up?"

"Fine." Scott scratches the back of his neck and moves away, helping Cora out of the car, shutting the door once she’s out.

And as soon as she’s out, Boyd growls.

Isaac moves in between Boyd and his sister, eyes flashing red. He’s afraid that the beta is going to do something to her and shows his fangs, head tipped forward to let the other man know not to mess with him.

"Calm down," Boyd mumbles, trying to look around Isaac’s body at Cora, who’s peeking the other way, her hands wrapped around the Alpha’s bicep. “I just… she smells good."

"She smells good?" Isaac blinks and Boyd nods. “What the hell is that supposed to mean? She’s a seventeen year old girl, Boyd, of course she’s gonna — "

Lydia clears her throat pointedly, interrupting him. “Isaac, sweetheart, he means that she  _smells good_. As in kind of sweet and spicy and,  _oh_ , matey," she says.

The Alpha cocks his head to the side like a confused dog and then looks behind him at Cora, his eyes widening in surprise. She’s not shaking anymore and her eyes are locked on Boyd, a small smile on her face, and Isaac’s seen that look before.

Hell, he’s  _had_  that look before.

"No, no, no. No way in  _hell_." Isaac turns and looks at Boyd, who’s inched forward with his hands in his pockets, a smile on his face. “You want to mate my  _seventeen year old sister_?!"

Boyd shrugs his shoulders and licks his lips. “Maybe not until she’s eighteen but… yes," he answers, finally bringing his gaze up to Isaac’s, his eyebrows lifted slightly.

"And I can make my own decisions," Cora mumbles from behind Isaac and he turns to glare down at her, shaking his head. “And why the hell not?"

"Because you’re just a baby!"

Cora laughs bitterly and pulls away. “Maybe six years ago when you last saw me but not anymore," she reminds him before going over to Boyd, her hands behind her back like she’s coy about the whole damn thing.

And all Isaac can do is watch because Cora’s right. She’s not a baby anymore and she’ll be eighteen before too long, which is old enough to mate and make any decisions  _about_  mating.

"They look cute together," Scott mumbles as he comes over, looping his arms around Isaac’s waist, his head resting against the Alpha’s bicep. “I think it’s good for Cora to be with someone and Boyd seems like a good guy."

"He is a good guy," Erica pipes up, resting her head against Lydia’s.

"The best," Allison adds and Lydia hums in agreement.

Isaac groans and shakes his head, turning to kiss the top of his mate’s before pulling away, mumbling ‘get undressed’ under his breath. He doesn’t want Boyd seeing his sister in her underwear, doesn’t want him to think about her that way — but out of everyone, Isaac  _guesses_  that Boyd isn’t a bad choice.

Okay, maybe he’s a  _good_  choice.

"Why do we get naked?" Scott asks as he pulls his too-tight black and white baseball shirt off, throwing it over his shoulder. He’s undoing his jeans and toeing out of his boots when Isaac looks at him.

"Because our clothes will rip and get dirty. It’s better to run in our underwear, that way it won’t matter." The Alpha smiles and pulls his own shoes off, opening the passenger side door of the car.

Cora, Scott, and Isaac throw their clothes into the Camaro. It takes five minutes but eventually everyone’s down to their underwear and Isaac notices that his sister’s in a sports bra — which is good, he thinks, because he’s done her laundry enough to know she wears frilly things on different occasions.

“ _Whoa_. Check out that tattoo." Cora comes closer and looks at the 'Wild Thing' tattoo going across Isaac’s hip, grinning. Their are tears in her eyes when she looks up, but the grin is still there, and she says, “I remember the day Laura and Derek got theirs. Mom went nuts."

A sad laugh bubbles up from Isaac’s throat and he nods. “Yeah, she yelled at them for two hours and then decided that, since they were over eighteen, they could do whatever they wanted. She started calling them Thing One and Thing Two after that," he mumbles.

"Yeah," his sister laughs, “and then they wanted to get them tattooed… but that was a week before the fire."

Silence falls over the woods before Lydia clears her throat once more, clapping her hands together. “It reeks of sadness around here and I don’t want to choke on it, okay? If my makeup is getting smeared, it’s going to be because I’m eating a nine point buck," she announces.

Scott turns to look at Isaac, his eyes wide. “We eat  _animals_?!"

"What _else_  would we eat?" Erica snorts from the sidelines.

"Do we eat them… you know, raw?" Scott asks, speaking carefully.

Lydia snorts this time and says, “No, we cook them in little werewolf ovens we’ve installed in the woods." 

When it looks like Scott’s going to believe that, Isaac nudges him. “She was being a sarcastic shit, don’t listen to her. Yes, we eat them raw but it’s not really  _us_ ; it’s our wolves," he assures his mate, rubbing his arm.

"Do we turn into real wolves?" 

"Only Isaac does," Boyd answers, his eyes glowing gold.

Wrinkling his nose, Scott turns to look at Isaac. “I wanna see," he says and smiles, nudging the Alpha in his side. “Show me your wolf form."

"Okay…" Isaac sighs and slips out of his boxers, which makes everyone but Scott make a disgusted noise; Cora’s is the loudest. “Shut up. It’s not like you all haven’t seen me naked before," he mumbles.

Once his boxers are off, Isaac hands them to Scott. He moves away a little and goes to the clearing behind the cars, rolling his head back and forth. It takes a moment for him to get into the “zone" and he closes his eyes, not opening them until he’s fully shifted into a big, dirty blonde wolf.

Isaac growls loudly and huffs, padding over to where Scott is. The beta smells even better in this form and he can’t help but lick his shoulders, making a content rumbling kind of noise deep in his chest when Scott’s taste coats his tongue.

"Whoa," Scott says and laughs, feeling Isaac’s tongue on him again. He turns around and moves a hand underneath the wolf’s chin, scratching it lightly. Someone behind him says he should watch out but Isaac tips his head to the side, eyes closing as he breathes slowly through his nose.

Erica whistles and grins. “Damn, I thought he would have eaten you by now," she mumbles, shaking her head.

"I’m his mate," the beta answers, “he wouldn’t hurt me."

Isaac shakes his head and pulls himself together enough to pull away, shifting back when he’s behind the cars again. He laughs and comes forward, grabbing his boxers from Scott before slipping them on again.

"That was fucking awesome," Scott mumbles and leans up to kiss the Alpha’s lips gently, smiling when he pulls back.

"Whatever, he’s a showoff." Cora grins from behind them and asks if they’re going to go now or what. Isaac tries not to notice how close she is to Boyd, deciding to not think about it for a while.

He nods his head and they all start shifting. Scott’s the last one, looking up at Isaac hesitantly, like he’s asking for permission. The Alpha tells him that it’s going to be fine and tells him to just go for it, to give into his urges.

Scott nods and closes his eyes, breathing in deeply. He’s completely shifted a moment later, his eyes burning a bright gold. Isaac makes a happy sound and kisses him, keeping his teeth out of it before they all start running.

The world is completely dark when they get to their usual clearing and they split off into groups. Erica, Lydia, and Allison go off together while Boyd and Cora run off through the trees, leaving Isaac and Scott on their own.

When they’re alone, Isaac teaches Scott everything he needs to know on the full moons, in case they’re ever separated during those times, and soon they’re running through the woods, chasing rabbits. Scott catches one before Isaac does and he feels pride when he sees his mate with the bunny in his mouth, eyes glowing in the dark.

For the next few hours, they run around, howling to one another, and it’s a good first full moon, Isaac thinks. Scott doesn’t go out of control once, at least not while Isaac is beside him and he’s not willing to leave him for even a  _second_. 

When the sun comes up, the wolves meet up at the creek. Isaac’s joints are stiff and he’s stretching his limbs out, grinning when he sees Erica and Lydia break through the trees, holding each other’s hands. The grin falls, though, when he spots Boyd and Cora doing the same thing.

Allison walks up to him and takes his hand. “Calm down," she whispers, nuzzling Isaac’s bicep a little before going to clean up in the creek.

"Yeah, calm down. My baby sister is gonna mate with my twenty-two year old beta," Isaac mumbles and follows the others into the water. 

The water is cold and Isaac revels in it, washing his hands and his feet, splashing some onto his face. He knows there’s blood in his hair, too, and in his teeth but decides to worry about those later, when they’re back at the apartment.

"So how was Scott’s first full moon?" Cora asks from where she’s sitting on a rock, splashing her feet around in the water.

Scott grins proudly and answers for himself, “Awesome. I ate rabbit and we took down a deer, though I didn’t really like that too much."

"And you didn’t lose control?" Lydia asks, quirking a brow. Scott shakes his head and dips his head into the water, getting it all wet. “Huh. Well, that’s good; we’re proud of you."

For the rest of the morning, the wolves talk about everything and anything, trying to keep their time together going. Isaac asks Boyd about the Alpha pack, if any of them have come by anywhere, and everyone says they haven’t seen them.

When asked why he’s so interested in them, Isaac tells the pack about what happened and doesn’t even bat an eyelash when Boyd wraps an arm around Cora. He tells them everything, even about killing Deucalion, and gets a few ‘woo-hoo’s from the girls.

"I didn’t like him," Erica mumbles as she wrings her hair out.

"Me either," Lydia sighs and adjusts her bra, which is spattered with blood. “He was… creepy and always talked in that strange voice."

Allison nods and laughs. “He had a British accent but there was something else to it, something kind of villainy," she whispers.

"Imagine living with him for six years," Cora mutters as she leans against Boyd’s side, sighing heavily. “I had nightmares about his voice."

"Yeah, well, none of you have to hear it anymore. I snapped his neck and when I went back for Cora the next day, the body was still there," Isaac says and stretches, groaning as his joints pop loudly. “We should probably get home."

Cora frowns and looks up at Boyd, then to her brother. “Can’t I hang out with Boyd for a while? We were gonna go to The Wolf Moon and talk," she says, pouting slightly. Boyd gives him a pleading look and Isaac sighs heavily, dramatically throwing his hands in the air as he says it’s fine with him.

"But you come home soon, okay? You have homework to do."

"Yes  _dad_." Cora grins and comes over, hugging Isaac before running back to Boyd, who takes her back through the woods, the two walking hand in hand. 

Isaac sighs again.

"Yeah we should get going too. I’ve got a paper to write and Erica needs her beauty sleep," Lydia says in a cheery voice, patting her mate’s cheek gently.

Allison laughs and nods, agreeing. She says she needs to go to work, waving to both Isaac and Scott as she walks back to the cars with the other girls, leaving them standing alone in the shallow water.

"Well," Scott says, coming up behind Isaac, “it’s just you and me. What do you want to do today?"

Humming, Isaac puts his hands on Scott’s and smiles. “We could go home and finish planning our mating ceremony or we could have sex," he suggests, hearing someone in the woods say ‘ew’ loudly. 

"I’m fine with doing both of those things. As long as I get to brush my teeth before we have sex."

"Of course. I need to brush mine, too." Isaac smiles and brings one of his mate’s hands up, kissing along the back of his knuckles. “Come on, let’s go back to the car, get dressed, and go back to the apartment."

Scott nods and lets Isaac lead him through the woods. They talk about things concerning their mating ceremony and then, even bigger, the wedding they’re going to have a few months after Scott’s graduation.

They have it all planned. As soon as Scott is graduated, they’re going to get married and it’s not going to be a big ceremony, just for their friends, family, and the pack. Then they’re going to start working on having a baby, which means they should be careful  _now_  but Isaac keeps forgetting condoms and Scott doesn’t make a big fuss out of it.

When Isaac talked to Allison the week before, she told him that she was a little surprised that Scott wasn’t already pregnant. Isaac agreed with her and wondered if maybe the beta was pregnant, but quickly realized that he wasn’t. Everyone would be able to smell that change.

"See you later," Cora shouts from Boyd’s car, grinning as she half hangs out of the passenger side window. Isaac waves to them and breaks through the clearing with Scott behind him, the two moving over to the Camaro.

Erica, Lydia, and Allison are almost changed. They’re making small talk among themselves, planning a ‘just for girls’ night sometime soon and they ask Isaac if he thinks Cora would be into it. He says sure, why not, as long as they’re not drinking or smoking anything; they all roll their eyes at him.

Once they’re dressed, they each kiss Isaac and Scott’s cheek before heading out, two going in one car and one in the other. The Alpha and his mate stand, watching and waving, before they pull their own clothes on. Scott opts for no shirt and Isaac isn’t about to tell him to put one on.

When Scott and Isaac get back into the apartment, the beta runs up the stairs and unlocks the door. The whole way, he says he’s going to steal the bathroom first and there’s nothing that Isaac can do about it.

The Alpha shakes his head and follows Scott, going into the apartment before shutting and locking the door behind him. He yawns loudly, runs a hand through his matted hair, and wonders how much persuasion Scott would need to join him in the shower.

"Hey," he says as he walks through the hall, tossing their bags into the bedroom, “would you want to take a shower with me?"

Scott hums around his toothbrush and sticks his head out the bathroom door, giving Isaac a toothpaste-y grin. “I’d love to," he mumbles and disappears, spitting in the sink.

A chuckle rises from Isaac’s chest and he takes his clothes off, throwing them into the master bedroom along with his shoes. He goes to the bathroom in just his boxers, running his hands along Scott’s waist as he walks by, going to turn the shower on. 

Once the water is the perfect temperature, Isaac takes his underwear off and throws them onto the floor, stepping underneath the stream. A soft moan fills the air when the water falls against his muscles and Isaac works them slowly, running his hands through his hair.

"Here," Scott says, handing an already pasted toothbrush to him. “So you don’t taste like deer blood when you kiss me."

Isaac nods and starts to brush his teeth, spitting foam onto the shower floor before filling his mouth with water. He swishes, spits again, and brushes thoroughly one more time before hanging the brush back to Scott, who puts it back in its place.

Then he’s stepping in behind Isaac, hands running along his back and arms, fingers tracing along the triskele between the Alpha’s shoulder. It makes him twitch and moan and Isaac presses his hands against the shower wall in front of him, letting Scott touch him wherever he pleases.

"I was thinking," the beta murmurs, pressing kisses along Isaac’s wet back and shoulders, bringing his mouth down to the tattoo, “about getting one myself. Obviously not the triskele but.. something else."

Isaac hums and drops his head between his shoulders. “Like what?"

No answer comes; Scott just keeps kissing along Isaac’s spine and drops to his knees behind him, hands resting on the Alpha’s ass. He kisses the dimples just above each cheek, smiling when Isaac sucks in a breath.

"What are you doing?"

"Gonna rim you," Scott whispers, spreading Isaac’s cheeks before leaning in and flicking his tongue against the Alpha’s entrance. He sucks in a sharp breath and leans forward, pushing his ass toward Scott’s mouth. 

Isaac folds his arms on the shower wall and presses his forehead against them, feeling Scott’s tongue on him again. He jerks his hips forward and growls when the beta grabs them, pulling him back and he can feel the other man’s tongue pressing against him over and over.

The movements come quicker and quicker, Scott’s tongue flicking against his rim before sliding along the crease of Isaac’s ass. He moans loudly, tipping his head back when he feels the beta bite his ass.

Scott hums against him and teases Isaac’s rim slowly. “Would you," he says in between licks, “ever consider letting me fuck you?"

“ _Fuck_." Isaac hisses and pushes his hips back, whining when Scott doesn’t get back to licking. He blows out a long breath and thinks about it for a moment, shrugging his shoulders. The Alpha inside wants to say no but his human side wants to say yes, wants Scott’s cock in him so badly it almost hurts. “Maybe," he eventually answers, nodding. “We’ll see."

That seems to be good enough for Scott because he leans back in, pressing as much of his tongue inside of Isaac as he can. He moves one of his hands away from the Alpha’s hips and grabs his cock, stroking slowly as he keeps tongue fucking his mate.

And, god, it’s so good. Isaac feels like he’s in heaven with Scott’s tongue in him and it’s something he’s never felt before. Yeah, he’s done it with Stiles before, a long time ago, but the human never did it to him. 

"Sc — Scott," Isaac moans, biting down on his lower lip. He pushes his hips back against Scott’s mouth and forward, into his hand. The combination of the hand on his cock and the tongue on his ass feels amazing and Isaac is panting, whimpering, begging for more.

Huh, imagine that — an Alpha  _begging_.

The beta laughs and drags the flat of his tongue along Isaac’s entrance. He shudders at the taste of the Alpha on his tongue, lapping even harder than before. The hand on Isaac’s cock squeezes gently and Scott moves down, licking across his mate’s balls, which causes him to jerk forward, a sharp moan escaping.

"Spread your legs." Scott’s mouth moves along the Alpha’s skin and he sucks lightly on Isaac’s balls for a moment, feeling him spread his thighs. When they’re apart enough for him to shoulder his way through, Scott moves between them and twists around, one knee pressed against the shower floor and the other bent, his foot pressed against the tile.

Isaac sucks in a breath when he feels one of Scott’s fingers move along his hole slowly while he moves forward, sinking the entire length of the Alpha’s cock into his mouth. When he feels that wet heat around him, Isaac bucks forward and drops a hand down, cupping the back of his mate’s head, sucking in a sharp breath.

"I love you," he whispers, opening his eyes to look down at Scott, who’s looking right up at him, winking before pulling off. He teases the head, which drives the older man insane, and he thrusts his hips forward, whining, " _Scott_."

"Yeah, Alpha?"

Huffing, Isaac swallows and thrusts again. “Suck my cock," he whispers.

"Bossy." Scott laughs and sinks down once more, his nose pressed against the neatly trimmed curls above Isaac’s cock. He cups the Alpha’s balls in one hand, rolls them gently between his fingers as he starts to suck slowly, never pulling off much. When he has to come up all the way, Scott moves a hand back to the base and sucks, hollowing his cheeks before popping off.

Meanwhile, above him, Isaac is pressing his hand against the shower wall, fingertips pressed against the wet tiles, the other sliding along the back of Scott’s skull. “I should fuck you in here," he mumbles and smirks when the beta moans around the head of his cock.

"Definitely," the beta replies when he pulls off again, licking his lips, “but not right now."

"Why?"

"Cause I’m kind of tired and you fucking me will only make me  _more_  tired."

Isaac makes a face and motions for Scott to stand up. “Then we’ll wash up and I’ll jerk you off, how’s that sound?"

"Like a good idea," Scott whispers, getting to his feet with a smirk. He leans up and kisses the Alpha slowly, moving one hand to the nape of his neck, fingers curled in the short hairs that lie there.

They kiss for a moment and as soon as they break it, Isaac grabs a bottle of body wash, squeezing some onto his hand. He rubs them together and presses them against Scott’s chest, backing him up against the shower wall and out of the stream. With a smirk, Isaac starts to rub the soap against the beta’s skin, hands dragging along his chest and then over his shoulders, suds following in their wake.

"This is nice." Scott let his head fall back against the shower wall and grabs the bottle from where the Alpha put it, pouring some soap into his palm. “Why don’t we do cute, domestic shit like this more often?"

Isaac snorts and mumbles, “Because Cora and Annabel are around most of the time."

"Oh," the beta mumbles, laughing, “right. Well, we’ll have to soak up all the time we can, huh?"

Instead of answering, the Alpha nods his head and leans in to kiss him gently, bringing both hands down Scott’s arms, rubbing his muscles. His own are still sore from the run and he knows that his mate’s have to be, what with it being his first full moon.

For the next fifteen minutes, Isaac and Scott soap each other up and take turns spinning around so they can get the backside. The Alpha spends too much time on Scott’s ass while the beta takes entirely too long to wash his tattoos, fingertips running along the wisps of gray on his forearm.

Once they were clean, Isaac takes the shower head off and starts to rinse all the bubbles off, watching the water tinge pink with the leftover blood on their skin. He tells Scott to tip his head back and gets his hair wet before grabbing the shampoo. Humming quietly to himself, Isaac lathers the beta’s hair up and massages his scalp, laughing when a moan escapes and Scott presses his hips forward, his cock moving against Isaac’s leg.

"I’ll massage that in a minute," the Alpha mumbles and laughs, kissing the corner of Scott’s mouth before rinsing his hair thoroughly. He hands the shower head to the beta and turns around, bending backwards a little so Scott can do this same to his hair.

Scott works his fingers through Isaac’s hair, getting all the blood and knots out of it before rinsing all the bubbles out. They’re slightly pink, too, because of the animal blood and for a moment the beta freaks out, thinking that Isaac is hurt. It’s only when the water runs clear that he realizes what it was and takes a deep breath to calm himself down.

The water gets shut off after that and Isaac steps out with Scott in tow. He grabs a towel for both of them and wraps his own around his hips, padding to the bedroom with water dripping down his chest and down his spine. Scott follows him a moment later and moans when he sees the Alpha drying himself off, cock bobbing between his legs.

"It should be illegal for you to be that hot," the beta mumbles, shaking his head as he follows in his Alpha’s footsteps, drying himself off the best his can, as quickly as he can.

As soon as they’re both relatively dry, Isaac sits at the head of the bed and spreads his legs, bending his knees as he presses his feet together. “Come here," he says and holds his hands out to Scott, smiling when the beta climbs onto the bed, situating himself on the Alpha’s lap.

Isaac kisses Scott slowly, wrapping a hand around his cock and the other around the nape of his neck, bringing him even closer. He slips his tongue into the beta’s mouth when he opens it on a moan, his hips bucking forward and into Isaac’s hand. The Alpha smirks and reaches over, opening the nightstand to rummage around for a bottle of lube.

"What — what’re you doin?" Scott asks, breathing hard against Isaac’s mouth when he pulls back from the kiss, resting their foreheads together. He looks in Isaac’s eyes instead of down at his hands, swallowing at the lump in his throat.

"Gonna use this to make things easier." As he speaks, Isaac pops the top on the lube and drizzles some over Scott’s cock before stroking it in. He smirks when the beta gasps and throws his head back, his hips snapping forward as he fucks into Isaac’s fist. “Better, huh?"

A moan escapes and Scott nods his head slowly. " _Much_ ," he breathes and drops his chin toward his chest, taking the lube from Isaac. “Now you."

With a smile, he pours a generous amount of the lube onto his palm and starts to stroke Isaac’s cock slowly, pumping it up and down. He tries to keep up with the Alpha’s rhythm but fails, so he just starts his own pace, running his free hand along Isaac’s chest, stopping to play with his nipples. Isaac’s got captive hoops in today and Scott tugs on one of them, grinning when the older man tips his head back, hand squeezing around Scott’s cock.

"Fuck," Isaac hisses and licks his lips, laughing when Scott leans down to take one of the hoops between his teeth, tugging. He growls quietly, the noise running straight through Isaac’s body and to his cock, and flicks his tongue against the sensitive skin. “You should get yours done," he suggests, bringing his hand up to pinch Scott’s nipple between his thumb and forefinger.

"Is — is that something you want?" Scott’s voice is breathless and Isaac nods his head, moaning when he feels the beta bite his chest — hard. “Maybe I’ll talk to Stiles about that concoction and we could go get them done soon."

Isaac grins and continues to stroke Scott’s cock, brushing his thumb along the head slowly, dragging it down the underside. “Yeah and I could get a tattoo," he breathes, pinching Scott’s nipple again, laughing when he moaned louder, though his noise tapered off into a growl when the beta bit down on his shoulder.

"You and your tattoos," Scott murmurs, smirking against Isaac’s skin.

Rolling his eyes, the Alpha snaps his teeth at his mate and continues to stroke his cock quickly, slowly down to match the beta’s movements. He could feel his own orgasm approaching, could smell the scent grow deeper and heady, going straight to his head. Isaac moans Scott’s name quietly and moves his hips up, leaning over to bite the younger man’s neck, sucking on a mark that he knew would be gone a second later.

"Yeah," the beta breathes, “come for me."

Isaac  _growls_  when he hears the command and only Scott could give him one. He noses along the other’s pulse, breathing in his scent, and keeps pumping his hips forward, keeping his grip on Scott’s cock firm. It takes a few more strokes and Scott whispering filthy things in his ear while playing with his nipples to make Isaac come and his orgasm hits him hard.

It’s always like this directly after the full moon and Isaac growls again, louder this time, the noise bouncing off the walls. He comes in thick ropes between the two of them, hips stuttering forward before stopping, his breath rushing out of his mouth. 

"Fuck." Isaac laughs shakily and swallows, moving his hand once more. He had stopped it, feeling too oversensitive about everything, and now Scott was whining, telling him to keep going. As he strokes his mate’s length, Isaac moves a finger through the come on his stomach and sucked the tip, grinning at Scott.

When the beta says that he’s getting closer, Isaac strokes his cock faster than before. He also keeps pinching and rubbing Scott’s nipples, alternating between the two as he talks dirty to him, saying all the things he normally does — and more.

"I — Isaac," Scott moans brokenly, his hips slamming forward and his hands going to Isaac’s shoulders, nails digging into his skin. He swallows when Isaac kisses along his throat, his Adam’s apple bobbing against the Alpha’s mouth, and he comes with Isaac’s name on his lips, coming out in the form of a shout.

Scott moans and pants as he comes, holding onto Isaac for dear life. He comes down and slumps against the man underneath him, completely forgetting about the come. “We’ll need to take another shower later," he mumbles against Isaac’s shoulder.

"Yeah," Isaac sighs, “we will — but don’t think about that right now."

"Mmm… okay."

Laughing, Isaac kisses Scott’s cheek and lays him down onto the mattress. He moves to grab one of the towels from the floor, wiping his chest and cock off before doing the same to Scott, laughing more when the beta swats his hand away, mumbling ‘too sensitive’ under his breath.

Once they’re both cleaned up, Isaac slips back into bed and pulls the sheets over them, pressing a kiss to Scott’s shoulder. “Go to sleep," he whispers, wrapping both arms around the beta, snuggling against him with a small yawn. “We’ll do something later."

"Okay." Scott nods his head and shuffles closer, curling up against Isaac’s chest. He ducks his head underneath that Alpha’s and yawns, smiling when he hears Isaac say he loves him, whispering the words against his damp hair. “I love you too," he replies.

Isaac smiles and holds Scott close, running a hand along his back while the other moves through his hair, the locks slipping easily through his fingers. They both grow silent and Scott starts snoring soon, the noise faint, and Isaac follows soon after.


	18. Chapter 18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jackson gives Isaac a call he's been waiting for.

For the next few weeks, things are quiet and normal.

Until Isaac gets a phone call that will change all of their lives.

-

The pack is hanging out in the living room while Isaac moves about the kitchen, gathering ingredients for dinner. He can hear everyone laughing in the other room and hears Annabel giggling in the middle of it, which makes him smile. There’s also the sound of a camera snapping and Isaac grins, setting things on the counter.

Scott’s been on a kick lately and he’s been taking pictures of everyone in the pack but, for the most part, it’s Annabel who becomes the star of these photographs. Isaac doesn’t say anything, just lets it happen, and no one else says a word either. He guesses it’s because Scott’s puppy-dog eyes and pout are far too cute for anyone to resist.

Just when he’s set everything on the counter, Isaac hears his phone buzz on the kitchen table and he sighs. Wiping his hands on the front of his jeans, he goes to look at it and his breath hitches when he sees the name flashing across the screen.

It’s Jackson Whittemore.

Isaac grabs the phone with a shaky hand and hits ‘answer’ before bringing the device up to his ear, taking a deep breath. “Hello?"

"Hey, Isaac," Jackson replies, his voice soft.

"Hey." Isaac bites his lower lip and asks, “Is Stiles okay?"

There’s a pause and then a quiet laugh.

"Yeah, Stiles is just fine. I’m actually calling about Peter."

When he hears Peter’s name, Isaac leans back against the counter and bites his lip again, crossing his arm over his chest. His heart pounds and he thinks of the worst case scenarios, his throat suddenly dry. “Oh," he whispers and coughs. “Is he okay?"

"Better than okay, actually. The burns have healed."

"They… healed," Isaac repeats, his voice barely above a whisper.

In the living room, Cora gasps.

Jackson laughs on the other side and says, “Yes, they’ve healed completely and he’s awake, alert, and trying to speak with our nurses but it’s been six years, so he’s more than a  _little_  rusty."

The doctor excuses himself for a moment and Isaac takes a deep breath, staring toward the living room. When Jackson comes back and asks if he’s still there, the Alpha hums quietly.

"Can we come see him?" Isaac asks.

"Of course you can," Jackson replies and then adds, “but you have to keep in mind that he might not remember you. He’ll be confused, maybe unresponsive, but you can definitely come see him."

"I can handle that." Isaac’s heart is pounding harder than before and he chews on his lip, biting and sucking and releasing it. He listens to Jackson talk about other things he should keep in mind when visiting Peter and says that it’d be a good idea to leave Annabel at home. “Why?"

"Because…." Jackson pauses and sighs. “I’ve seen people come back from things like this before - though nothing of this magnitude, of course - and sometimes the patient has a tendency to… become violent," he mumbles.

"Peter would  _never_  do that."

"I’m not saying that he will or won’t; I’m just telling you to be careful."

Isaac mumbles ‘I’m bringing her anyway’ before Jackson hangs up and he moves into the living room, looking at Cora. She’s on her feet before the Alpha can say a word and pulls her shoes on while Isaac puts the phone into his pocket.

"So, Peter’s healed, huh?" Scott asks from his place on the floor, where he’s half laying on the carpet with a camera on his chest. A smile stretches across his face when Isaac nods. “Do you want me to come with you?"

"No, I think it’s just going to be me, Cora, and Annabel this time," Isaac replies as he comes over, bending down to kiss Scott. He straightens up and sighs, watching as Annabel toddles over to Cora and he smiles. “Can you grab her?"

Cora nods and bends, scooping her niece up. “We’re going to see Uncle Peter," she announces and tickles the little girl’s stomach, grinning when she squeals and giggles.

"Peter!" Annabel squeaks and squirms in Cora’s arms.

While his daughter is being taken care of, Isaac tells the pack that they can stay at the apartment and before he can say anything else, Erica volunteers to make dinner for all of them. Lydia jumps up and says she’ll help, joining her mate in the kitchen a moment later. Isaac just rolls his eyes and grabs his jacket, shrugging into it quickly.

On his way out of the apartment, he hears the girls giggling in the other room and calls out to them, “No sex in my kitchen!"

Cora, Isaac, and Annabel make their way down the stairs and to where the Camaro is parked. The Alpha’s hands tremble the entire time because this is the first time in six years he’s had his uncle back and he’s both excited and nervous to see Peter after so long.

When they’re in the car, Cora puts her hand on Isaac’s arm and squeezes it, giving him a smile. “It’s going to be okay," she whispers and the Alpha nods, sighing as he starts the car before heading out.

It takes longer than normal for them to get to the hospital and Isaac circles around the parking lot a few times before swinging into a space. He lets the car idle for a moment and shuts it off, getting out and letting Cora lift Annabel out of her car seat.

Jackson is waiting for them on Peter’s floor when they get inside and Annabel squirms in Cora’s arms, whining the doctor’s name until he takes her. “The nurses are with him right now, taking blood and cleaning him up a little," he explains.

"Do you think… he can recover from everything?" Cora asks in a quiet voice as she leans against Isaac’s side, chewing on her lip.

"With physical therapy and rehabilitation, yes." Jackson smiles and nuzzles Annabel a little, sighing when his beeper goes off. “Sorry," he mumbles and hands the toddler to Isaac before checking the device on his hip.

Isaac smiles and waves a hand dismissively. “Go save lives," he says and shakes Jackson’s hand before watching him walk down the hallway, disappearing around the corner.

And five agonizing minutes later, the nurses come out and they’re allowed to go in to see Peter.

Time seems to slow down considerably when they walk into Peter’s hospital room and Cora gasps behind Isaac, her hand finding his. Their uncle is sitting on the edge of the bed, wearing a black t-shirt and a pair of plaid pajama pants - instead of the hospital clothes - and the burns on his face are completely healed.

Isaac swallows and takes a step forward, his heart jumping in his chest when Peter’s head snaps toward him. Clear, blue eyes meet his own and the Alpha wants to cry because it’s been  _so long_  since Peter’s looked at him and he swallows again.

"Hey, Peter." It takes a moment but Isaac finds his voice and he hugs Annabel to his chest, shushing her quietly when she starts to whimper low in her throat. “Do you remember me?"

Peter squints for a moment and nods his head.

"Do you remember Cora?"

Again, Peter nods his head.

The Alpha laughs and comes closer, kneeling about a foot away from his uncle, settling Annabel on his knee. “You don’t remember her because she came  _after_  the fire," he says, bouncing the little girl a little, “but this is my daughter — Annabel."

Cora comes closer and sits down in the chair beside the bed. “Hey, Uncle Peter," she says and smiles, pushing her hair behind her ears.

"Hello," Peter manages, though his voice is raspy with disuse. 

"Can you say hello, Annabel?" Isaac asks, looking at his daughter. She nods her head and looks up at Peter, her lips pursed into a thin line.

A moment later, she puts her hand out and smiles. “Hi," she whispers and hides against her father a little while Peter looks at her hand.

And it takes a while but eventually the older wolf brings his own hand up, his fingers completely covering hers.

"Pack," Annabel whispers, looking at Peter in awe.

"Yeah, baby, he’s pack. This is your uncle Peter." Isaac’s voice is soft and he never takes his eyes off the older wolf, though he does breathe a sigh of relief when Peter lets go of Annabel’s hand.

From her chair, Cora clears her throat and asks, “Can you talk more?"

Peter shakes his head slowly.

"That’s alright," Isaac murmurs, smiling. “We’ll get you into a good rehabilitation program and you’ll be back to yourself in no time."

"Sit," Annabel says and scrambles onto the bed before Isaac can catch her, though he does say that Peter probably doesn’t want her to sit there with him. She doesn’t listen, just sits on the mattress beside the older wolf, leaning against him a little.

And there’s a smile on Peter’s face, which is something none of them have seen in a long time, and Isaac’s throat tightens a little. This is the man he remembered before the fire, the kind of guy that would sit around with his nieces and nephews and spoil the hell out of them. Isaac’s almost certain that if Peter ever gets back to his old self, he’ll do the same with Annabel — and any other children he or Cora have.

"You look good," Cora says around her thumbnail and Peter turns to look at her, his movements slow. “It’s good to actually see your face."

Peter smiles again.

"We won’t stay long," Isaac mumbles, moving so he’s kneeling on the floor in front of the bed, resting an arm on the mattress beside Annabel. “I know you need to get your rest and they’ll probably want to start your therapy as soon as possible."

That makes Peter frown and he opens his mouth, trying for a long moment before managing to say, “Is."

"Yeah," the Alpha laughs, “it’s me, Is."

Peter smiles again and works his mouth for a moment before saying, “Cor."

"Oh my god." A smile breaks out across Cora’s face and she nods, moving to hug Peter gently, her knee on the mattress. “Yeah, Cor."

It’s not much, Isaac knows, but it’s something and a hell of a lot more than they had before. Peter is talking and moving and he’s going to get better — which is all Isaac wants. 

Maybe, he thinks, his uncle will be well enough to come to his mating ceremony and the thought has his heart jumping in his chest.

Annabel eventually climbs onto Peter’s lap and he moves stiff arms around her, the smile never leaving his face. Feeling good about leaving his daughter and Cora alone with Peter, Isaac excuses himself to go move around the hospital for a while.

Eventually, the Alpha finds himself on the floor Stiles usually works on, his hands shoved deep into the pockets of is jeans. He follows the other man’s scent and finds him at the nurse’s station with Melissa McCall, the two of them going over a patient’s chart together.

"Hey," Isaac says, smiling as he leans his body against the counter.

Stiles turns to look at him and grins. “Hey!"

"What are you two doing?"

"Looking at a patient’s chart," Melissa answers and smiles, leaning over the desk to press a kiss to Isaac’s cheek. “What are you doing here?"

The Alpha bites his lip and rolls a shoulder. “Jackson called and said that Peter’s burns were healed completely," he replies.

"Oh, yeah, I remember hearing about that." As soon as she’s done speaking, Melissa’s name is called and she excuses herself, smiling at both men before walking down the hall.

"So how is Peter?" Stiles asks as he slips his hands into the pockets of his scrub top, his eyes glistening under the lights.

"Good," Isaac answers, smiling. “How are you?"

Stiles shrugs and laughs. “Exhausted but… I’m good," he says and comes around the desk, leaning against Isaac a little.

A scent hits Isaac’s nose then and he pulls his eyebrows together, looking down at Stiles with a frown. “Are you sure you’re good?"

"Yeah, why?"

"You smell… different." Isaac wrinkles his nose and leans down to smell the human, getting a good whiff of him. He pulls back and hums quietly, letting it sink in before it hits him. “Are you pregnant?"

Stiles goes rigid and squeaks, shaking his head slowly. “Not… that I know of, no," he murmurs.

"Well," the Alpha says and laughs, “you smell pregnant."

"Oh my god." Stiles brings a hand up to his mouth and stares at Isaac with wide eyes, shaking his head again. “I can’t be  _pregnant_! We haven’t even had our mating ceremony yet."

Isaac laughs again and wraps his arms around Stiles, kissing the top of his head gently. “I hate to break it to you but you’re either pregnant or you’ve been hanging around a lot of pregnant people," he mumbled.

The human goes silent and laughs, his hands wrapping around the front of Isaac’s jacket. “Jackson is going to be so happy," he mumbles.

"And you won’t be?"

"Well, yeah, I’m happy but… I wanted to be properly mated before this happened."

"We weren’t," Isaac points out, nudging Stiles lightly.

"Yeah," the human says, chuckling, “but that was different. This is… Jackson is a huge deal in this hospital, you know? He’s the youngest, most competent doctor on staff and… I don’t want people thinking differently of him when they find out he got his mate pregnant before they were official."

Isaac laughs - tips his head back and  _laughs_  - and shakes his head. “No one is going to care so long as you two are happy and you’re healthy," he mutters and rubs Stiles’ back slowly. “Go take a test and then talk to Jackson."

"Okay." Stiles blows out a breath and grins. “Thanks," he says.

"Nah, don’t worry about it. By the way, how did Jackson not notice?"

Stiles shrugs and licks his lips. “We’ve both been busy," he answers and blushes, rolling his eyes when Isaac makes a comment. “We have… and I’ve been busy coming up with a mating gift for you and Scott."

"What is it?" Isaac asks, raising a brow.

"I’ll talk to you about it later, okay? Maybe tomorrow or this weekend when you drop Annabel off." Isaac frowns and Stiles laughs, patting his cheek gently. “It’s nothing bad, just… I need your permission and your participation to do it," he assures.

Isaac narrows his eyes, hugs Stiles, and says he’ll talk to him later. They go their separate ways and the Alpha ends up on Peter’s floor again, his head down as he goes back to his uncle’s room.

When he walks in, Cora and Annabel are curled up in the chair while Peter is laying down on the bed. They’re talking to him, though Cora is doing most of the speaking, and it looks like the older wolf is falling asleep.

"We should go," Isaac whispers, coming over to take Annabel from his sister’s arms, settling her on his hip. He leans down, kisses Peter’s forehead, and lets the toddler do the same before pulling back. “We’ll see you tomorrow, okay?"

Peter doesn’t answer and doesn’t even stir when Cora kisses his cheek, squeezing his bicep lightly. They leave then and head back down to the parking lot with Annabel squealing about Peter every step of the way.

When they get to the Camaro, Isaac puts Annabel in her car seat and gets in behind the wheel, feeling good about everything. He drives them back and listens to Cora sing along with the radio, while Annabel tries but mostly just mumbles to herself in the back.

The pack is still at the apartment when they return and Annabel goes straight to Allison, squealing when the beta peppers her face in tiny kisses. Isaac grins and goes into the kitchen to find Scott standing between Erica and Lydia, the three of them taste-testing the casserole they made.

"Scott helped?" Isaac asks, quirking a brow when his mate comes over, kissing his lips. They taste like spaghetti sauce and he moans, flicking his tongue out across Scott’s lips, grinning.

"Yes, I helped," he mutters when he pulls back, grinning. “Okay, well, Lydia and Erica did most of the work but I did cut things up!"

Behind Scott, the girls nod and take the dish to the table. Lydia says that dinner is ready and everyone comes into the kitchen, gathering around the table. Boyd and Cora sit together; Lydia and Erica take the seats right next to them; Allison sits beside Annabel’s highchair; and Scott takes the chair next to Isaac’s.

They all eat and talk and enjoy each other’s company. When asked about Peter and how he’s doing, Isaac fills them in on what’s going on and says that he needs to start looking for a house.

"We can take you sometime," Erica says, shrugging her shoulders as she takes a sip of wine, licking her lips. “We were kind of looking for a place of our own."

Lydia smirks and nods. “We can look at houses together and whatever you don’t like, we can think of getting," she adds.

"That sounds like a good idea." Isaac nods and looks at Scott, grinning a little. “Does that sound like something you wanna do?"

Scott stops eating and looks up, his eyes going around the table before coming back to Isaac. He swallows the food in his mouth and says, “Um, yeah, that sounds awesome."

Everyone laughs and Lydia says they’ll call Isaac when they have a day set for house hunting and the subject changes quickly. They go from talking about Cora’s schoolwork to Scott’s final art project to what movie they should rent for the next pack night.

And it’s a perfect evening.


	19. Chapter 19

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stiles gives Isaac an offer that's hard to refuse.

The week goes by and Isaac doesn’t hear from Stiles. He knows that they need to discuss whatever it is the human needed to talk to him about but also knows that they’ve both been busy with work. On Friday evening, before he gets ready to take Annabel over to Stiles’, Isaac gets a message saying to bring Cora by when he drops their daughter off.

When Isaac asks why, Stiles doesn’t give an answer.

-

"Why do I have to go?" Cora asks when Isaac tells her and she crosses her arms over her chest, raising a brow at him. He just says that he doesn’t know but promises that he’ll get her back on time for her date with Boyd, which seems to sate her because she stops pouting.

Isaac gets Annabel's things ready and double checks that he put everything in her backpack before slinging it over his shoulder. The toddler looks up from the movie playing and leans back against Scott, who’s holding her on his lap, his attention on the television.

"You ready to go, baby? We’re going to see Papa and Jackson," Isaac says in a cheery voice, holding his hands out to her and wiggling his fingers a little.

At the mention of her father and Jackson, Annabel brightens and nods her head, wiggling away from Scott. She squeals when he catches her and peppers her face in kisses. “Love you, ‘Cott," she says and nuzzles her nose against his cheek.

"I love you too, Anna." Scott smiles and lets her go, watching as she toddles over to Isaac, who bends to scoop her up into his arms. “Tell Stiles and Jackson I said hey," he mumbles.

"Will do." A smile spreads across Isaac’s face as he settles Annabel on his hip, huffing out a sigh. He calls Cora’s name and she appears a few minutes later, shrugging into a jacket that’s far too big for her. It’s Boyd’s, he realizes, and shakes his head.

It’s been an adjustment for Isaac to see his sister with Boyd but he’s not unhappy about the whole thing. He actually thinks they’re kind of nice together and gave Boyd his blessing for them to have a mating ceremony of their own. As soon as Cora's eighteen and graduated from high school, of course.

They all wave to Scott on the way out and Isaac carries Annabel down the steps, setting her on the ground when she squirms. The toddler takes hold of Cora’s hand when she’s close enough and the two walk toward the Camaro, singing a song from Tangled.

Isaac watches and shakes his head, holding the driver’s side door open as Cora puts Annabel into the car seat. She pokes her nose lightly and laughs, moving away to get in on the other side, settling in against the seat while the Alpha slides in behind the wheel.

"So why do you think Stiles wants me to come?"

"I have no idea," Isaac sighs and starts the engine, backing out of the space before shifting gears, glancing at Cora. “Maybe he needs to talk to you about something?"

Cora purses her lips together and shrugs. “Maybe," she mumbles and turns her head around to look at Annabel, smiling. 

The rest of the ride is quiet, save for the occasional giggle from Annabel and gasp from Cora as the two play peek-a-boo. Isaac just smiles as he listens to the two of them and shakes his head, his stomach churning the closer they get to Stiles’ house.

Why would Stiles want Cora to be there? Isaac knows they’re just going to talk about a mating ceremony gift the human is getting them. Maybe it has something to do with Cora, too, or maybe Stiles just needs her opinion. 

As soon as they pull up to Jackson’s house, Isaac can feel himself panicking a little because he doesn’t know what Stiles is going to talk to him about and he swallows thickly. Cora must sense this because she puts a hand on his arm and squeezes gently.

That calms him down and Isaac blows out a long breath as he swings the Camaro in behind Stiles’ beat up Jeep. He turns the car off, gets out, and unbuckles Annabel from her car seat, laughing when she squeals “Papa" at the top of her lungs.

"Yes, baby, we’re going to see Papa." Isaac kisses her cheek and shuts the door, walking up to the porch with Cora in tow. He goes up the steps, hesitates by the door for a moment, and rings the bell, chewing nervously on his tongue ring.

Stiles answers the door a few minutes later and smiles brightly at the trio on the porch, holding his hands out for Annabel, who nearly jumps from Isaac’s arms. Once she’s secure on the human’s hip, Isaac hands her bag over and Stiles motions for them to come in.

"I’m going to put her in the living room with a movie so we can talk," he says and excuses himself, talking to Annabel the whole way to the living room. 

Cora looks around with her hands in her pockets and whistles. “Nice house," she mumbles and Isaac shrugs his shoulders. “They could hold a lot of cubs in a place this size."

"And your point is?" Isaac mutters.

"I’m just curious. Why aren’t you jealous?"

Before Isaac can answer, Stiles comes back and laughs quietly. “Sorry," he says and waves the two werewolves into the kitchen, where he takes a seat at the island in the middle of the room.

"So why am I here?" Cora asks, her arms crossed over her chest as she comes in to lean against the counter.

"Well, this deals with both of you." Stiles bites down on his lower lip, gaze flicking between Cora and Isaac, and he sighs heavily. “Sit, please," he whispers, motioning to the other stools along the counter.

When both Isaac and Cora are sitting across from him, Stiles clears his throat before beginning.

"Right, well. I’ve been thinking about something I could get you and Scott for a mating present and I couldn’t come up with anything good. Then I thought about doing magic for you two and," he says, moving over to the counter where an old, leather bound book lays, “this is something I’ve wanted to do for a while. Since the fire."

Isaac narrows his eyes a little and watches Stiles come back, laying the book on the counter between the three of them. “What is it?"

"A resurrection spell."

"A what?"

Stiles laughs and opens the book, going to a bookmarked page. “I know how much your family meant to you and after the fire, I tried to look for something that could bring them back," he mutters, turning the book around before tapping a page.

"You’re saying you can bring them back?" Cora asks, her voice barely above a whisper as she leans over to read the page.

"Not all of them, no, but I could bring two back." 

Isaac looks at the book, then up to Stiles, and back to the spell before reading it carefully. He might not know much about magic and spells, but he does know a blood magic spell when he sees one. “This is blood magic," he mumbles, shaking his head slowly. “I can’t let you do this."

"Of course it’s blood magic," Stiles snorts, shaking his head as he turns the book back around so he can read the pages. “And if you think it’s going to hurt me or the baby, you’re wrong. The thing with this spell is that it doesn’t use my blood for it and it’s completely… safe."

"You hesitated on the word ‘safe’," Cora points out.

The human sighs and runs a hand down his face. “Look, I’ve seen this spell done before and if you don’t want me to do it, I’ll get someone else to," he said and looked up at Isaac, smiling. “You can have someone back, Is."

The thought of having his family back made Isaac’s heart thump in his chest but he didn’t want Stiles to sacrifice anything to do it. He could live with what little family he had now and he’d be fine with that…

But…

"Is it harmful to anyone involve?" Isaac asks, quirking a brow.

"Nope, it’s completely safe. It’s blood magic, Isaac, not black magic. It’s totally different," Stiles answers, nodding his head. “And I wanted you to bring Cora because I was thinking this could be a gift for her, too."

Cora sucks in a sharp breath and whispers, “I could get Derek back."

"And I could get Laura." 

Isaac stares at the book and bites down on his lower lip. He asks what’s involved in the spell, the ritual, and Stiles gives him a basic rundown of what goes on, what they would have to do, and how quickly it would work. Stiles tells them to take some time to think about it and get back to him before it’s too late.

"And it’ll work on someone that’s been dead for six years?" Cora’s voice is soft when she speaks and she’s looking at Stiles desperately.

With a smile, Stiles nods his head and says, “Even if that person’s been dead for six years and they were burned alive."

The room starts spinning and Isaac excuses himself, going out onto the porch to take a couple of deep breaths. He thinks about getting Laura and Derek back, of having his older siblings alive, and his chest tightens painfully.

It’s something he’ll have to talk to Scott about, something that the four of them will have to discuss, and definitely something Isaac won’t even think about doing if something might happen to Stiles.

But he wants it. Isaac wants to have Laura and Derek back, wants to be a family again, and the image of his siblings spending time with their niece makes Isaac smile, though it’s sad.

When he goes back inside, Cora and Stiles are still sitting at the counter, but the human’s got her hand in his. He’s showing her where he’ll cut to get the blood and explaining how he’ll give them something so the wound doesn’t heal a second later.

"So we’re really thinking about this?" Isaac asks, quirking a brow as he comes over, his hands stuffed into his pockets.

Cora looks up, nods, and bites her lower lip. “I want Derek back," she whispers and there are tears in her eyes, which only makes Isaac’s heart thump wildly.

"Why not mom and dad?"

"Because…" Cora pauses and sighs, shrugging. “I don’t know. Do you really think they’d want to come back when most of their children are dead?"

Isaac thinks about it and shakes his head, sighing heavily. He decides to change the subject and leans against the counter, grinning at Stiles. “So you’re really pregnant, huh?"

"What?" Stiles blinks and turns a deep shade of crimson, nodding his head as he lets go of Cora’s hand. “I got tested at the hospital the other day and just got the news last night."

"Congratulations." The Alpha smirks and hugs Stiles with one arm before Cora comes over, hugging the human tightly. “Not too tight; you don’t want to hurt the baby," Isaac murmurs teasingly, grinning when his sister flips him off.

They sit around for a while longer before Cora gets a text from Boyd saying he’s bumping their date up and she tells Isaac they need to get back to the apartment so she can get ready. She kisses Stiles’ cheek, says goodbye to Annabel, and goes to wait in the Camaro for him.

Isaac leans against the door frame and sighs. “I can’t believe you want to do this for us," he mumbles, looking at Stiles seriously.

"Well, you guys are my family and I want you to be happy." Stiles shrugs his shoulders and licks his lips.

"Why didn’t you bring your mom back?"

The question breaks something in Stiles and Isaac can see his whole demeanor change in the blink of an eye. He takes a deep breath and mumbles, “Because that would hurt too much and I don’t want to put my dad through that."

Biting down on his lip, Isaac nods and hugs Stiles gently, nuzzling the top of his head a little before pulling back. “I’m sorry," he mutters, running his hands along the human’s arms slowly, giving him a smile. “Your mom would be proud of you, you know."

"Yeah, shut up." Stiles smacks Isaac’s arm lightly and shoves him out of the house with a quiet, broken laugh. “Go home and be with Scott," he whispers and waves to Cora as he leans against the door frame where Isaac had been a few seconds earlier.

The Alpha nods his head and waves before heading to the Camaro, sliding in behind the wheel. He starts the engine, backs out, and drives at a considerable speed even though Cora is telling him to go faster. It makes him laugh but he just keeps going at the same speed, grinning when she whines.

Scott’s passed out on the couch when they get back and Isaac laughs, moving to lay on top of his mate, kissing all over his face. Cora makes a noise of disgust and says she’s going to get ready, to let her know when Boyd gets there.

"Okay," Isaac calls out and moves around so he’s laying against Scott’s side with his back pressed against the couch. “How was your nap?"

"Short and rudely interrupted," the beta mumbles and yawns loudly, turning to nuzzle his face against the top of Isaac’s head. “How was the visit with Stiles?"

Closing his eyes, Isaac wraps his arms around Scott’s middle and shrugs a little. “He wants to bring Derek and Laura back," he whispers.

"From the dead?"

"No, from Disneyland." Isaac snorts and shakes his head, resting it in he crook of Scott’s neck. “Yes, from the dead," he answers.

"Holy…"

"Yeah," the Alpha interrupts, sighing.

They don’t talk for a few minutes and Isaac listens to Scott’s heartbeat while the beta moves a hand through his hair. He knows they’ll talk more about it later, when Cora’s out with Boyd, and snuggles closer to Scott with a content sigh.

Someone knocks on the door half an hour later and Isaac reluctantly moves away from Scott, sighing as he gets up. He yawns, stretches, and scratches along his lower abdomen on his way to the door. Boyd’s standing on the other side when Isaac opens it and he smiles at the beta, motioning for him to come inside.

"Cora’s still getting ready," he mumbles and shuts the door, calling his sister’s name out. When she says ‘what’ in return, Isaac tells her that Boyd is there and rolls his eyes, laughing.

"I can wait a little longer." Boyd smiles and waves to Scott before putting his hands in his pockets. “What are you two doing tonight?"

Isaac shrugs and raises his arms above his head, crossing is wrists against the nape of his neck. “We’ll probably stay in or go see Melissa," he answers and laughs when Scott says he wants to go out. “Or we’ll go out, I don’t know."

"Where are you taking Cora?" Scott asks, nearly shouting. Even though he’s been a werewolf for a while, Isaac knows the younger man hasn’t gotten used to the whole thing and finds it adorable.

"We’re going to see a movie and then going to dinner," is Boyd’s answer and when Scott says he better bring her back before midnight, the other beta laughs. “I promise I’ll bring her back before then. I don’t want Isaac ripping me apart for keeping her out later."

A grin spreads across Isaac’s face and he nods. “I’ll rip your throat out," he mumbles and goes to sit down, motioning for Boyd to join them. 

The three men talk while Cora finishes getting ready and when she comes out, Boyd stares at her. To be fair, so does Isaac, but he doesn’t stare at her in the ‘wow I really want her’ kind of way; just the ‘I think she’s not wearing enough’ kind of way.

Though Isaac isn’t going to say a word.

"You look…. beautiful," Boyd breathes, a goofy smile taking place on his lips as he goes over to Cora, taking her hand in his.

Scott and Isaac murmur in agreement. They watch Boyd and Cora, waving to them as they make their way out of the apartment, and then the Alpha lays back down with Scott, sighing.

"So… do you want to bring your brother and sister back?" 

"Yeah, I kind of do," Isaac mutters, letting Scott run his fingers through his hair, working out small kinks and knots. “But I’m afraid of something happening to Stiles. He says it’s safe and nothing will happen but…"

Humming, Scott nods and scratches Isaac’s scalp. “I get it," he whispers and rubs his free hand between the Alpha’s shoulders. “Maybe you should talk to someone else that knows a thing or two about magic and get their opinion?"

Isaac thinks about that for a minute and nods his head, leaning up to kiss Scott gently, sucking on his lower lip before pulling back. He smiles and laughs when the beta kisses him back, making a sharp noise of surprise against his lips when they’re suddenly on the floor.

"Oh my god," Isaac mumbles against Scott’s mouth, his body shaking with laughter, “I can’t believe that happened."

"Rude." Growling, Scott rolls them over so Isaac is on his back and they push the coffee table over a little with their bodies. He leans down and kisses the Alpha roughly, bringing both of his hands up above his head, pinning them against the carpet.

For the next fifteen minutes, Isaac lets Scott kiss him and keeps both hands above his head, though he could easily break away if he wanted to. When the kiss is finally broken, he breathes hard and whispers, “Do you want me to do this?"

Scott doesn’t answer right away. He just looks down at Isaac and brushes the pad of his thumb along the inside of one of the Alpha’s wrists, biting down on his lower lip. A smile stretches across his face, though, and he nods his head.

"Yeah," Scott answers, “I think you should do it. I mean, you’ve got Cora and Peter back; why shouldn’t you get Derek and Laura?"

That’s all Isaac needs to make up his mind. He decides to check the spell out first, though, and talk to as many witches as he can before letting Stiles do anything.

And that night, instead of going out on a date, Isaac and Scott stay in, having sex on every piece of furniture in the living room before ending up in the master bedroom. They lay on the bed, legs tangled in the sheets, and Isaac listens to Scott’s breathing as he falls asleep.

The last thing on his mind before he goes under is seeing Derek and Laura again.


	20. Chapter 20

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After six long yeas, four of the Hale siblings are reunited.

The weekend passes by far too quickly. Isaac spends most of his time thinking about his decision and weighing the pros, then the cons. He can’t see anything wrong with bringing Derek and Laura back — except for the fact that it  _might hurt_  Stiles and people are going to freak out when they see two dead people alive and well.

But by the time Monday morning comes, Isaac is confident in his decision, though he decides to consult another expert.

Just in case.

 

**xx**

Isaac leaves work in the early afternoon, several hours before the shop is supposed to close, and makes Boyd promise that they won’t damage anything when he’s gone. The beta promises on behalf of himself but says he doesn’t know about Erica; she gives a hurt look and says they’ll be  _fine_. 

Once he’s sure that nothing is going to happen, Isaac changes out of his work clothes and tries to scrub his hands. He runs one fingernail underneath the others, working grease from the nail beds, but some just isn’t budging, so he gives up.

Who cares if he’s got a bit of grease on his hands, right?

The whole time, Isaac can feel his stomach clenching. He called a friend of his, a vet that works in the city, and asked if he could come by to talk to him about something. Of course the man said yes and that the only time he could take him would be on his lunch hour.

It only takes fifteen minutes for Isaac to get to the animal clinic and he hangs around outside for a moment, just listening to the world around him. He blows out a long breath, pushes a hand through his hair, and goes inside, wincing when the bell over the door rings three times.

"Who’s — " Deaton starts and cuts himself off when he sees Isaac, a smile spreading across his face. “Alpha Lahey," he greets.

Isaac smiles and shakes his head. “Deaton, you’ve known me all my life; call me Isaac," he murmurs and comes forward when waved on, his heart thudding in his chest.

Alan Deaton is the only witch - besides Stiles - that Isaac can trust. His family used to work with him and he remembers running around the clinic with three year old Cora behind him, her squealing at the puppies. For some reason, Deaton never chastised them; in fact, he merely smiled and gave them treats to give to the dogs.

Once they’re in the exam room, Isaac walks toward the table and runs his fingers along the cold metal, shuddering. He’s never had to be on one like that, not that he can remember, and hopes that he never has to experience what it feels like to be hospitalized.

"So," Deaton says, sighing as he sits down at the counter, poking something with a fork, “you wanted to ask me a question?"

Isaac looks up when he hears the vet’s voice and nods. “It’s about a spell," he says, speaking slowly as he walks around the table, “and I need to know if it’s harmful and if there… are any side effects."

"This sounds serious."

"It kind of is."

The vet laughs and turns around on his stool, licking his lips. “Okay," he mutters, making a vague gesture toward Isaac, “let me have it."

This is the moment that Isaac has been dreading. He’s just expecting the doctor to tell him that the spell isn’t going to work or — that the spell  _will_  work but it’ll make Stiles lose his baby.

Or possibly kill  _him_  in the process.

"Right," Isaac sighs and hops up onto the table, letting his legs dangle a little. “I was talking to Stiles and he said that he wanted to give Scott and I something unique for our mating ceremony."

Deaton nods encouragingly. 

"And… it’s a resurrection spell." The words come from Isaac’s mouth as a soft whisper and Deaton tells him to repeat it, so he does. The vet looks at him with a frown and rubs his chin thoughtfully.

And Isaac can’t help but think he’s about to be told bad news.

"What did you want to know about it, specifically? The ritual?"

The Alpha shakes his head and says, “I want to know if it will hurt anyone and what the side effects would be. For the people involved and those that are coming back to life."

Deaton gives Isaac a look, like he’s sizing him up, and nods his head slowly. “The spell shouldn’t be harmful to anyone — unless he’s practicing black magic — and there are no side effects for anyone else. The dead that come back will be disoriented, though, and might think they’re still in the year they died," he mutters.

"So… if a pregnant man - or woman - did the spell, they would be okay?"

"Like I said: as long as it’s not black magic, they will be." The vet pauses and rubs a hand along his jaw before asking, “Who is Stiles planning on bringing back?"

Isaac gulps and looks down at the floor. “Laura and Derek," he answers and can hear Deaton hum, making an ‘ah’ sound. “You think it’s a bad idea, don’t you?"

"Not necessarily, no." 

"Then why the hum and the ‘ah’?"

"I just… wondered why you wouldn’t bring your parents back, that’s all."

"Because most of their children are dead and I don’t want to put my mother and father through the pain of knowing that Cora and I are the only ones left," Isaac answers in a soft, hurt voice.

Deaton looks up when he hears Cora’s voice and breathes, “Cora’s alive?"

"Huh? Yeah, she’s alive. She was living with an Alpha pack and they were using me as a way to get her to join them."

"Become an Alpha by killing one," Deaton hums and nods quickly, a smile on his face. “It’s good to know that you have family left. How’s Peter?"

Isaac smiles and swings his legs a little. “Peter’s healed from the burns and they’re going to transfer him to a rehabilitation center specifically for werewolves sometime this week," he replies, beaming.

"That’s… great, Isaac. I’m happy for you."

And there’s no bleep in Deaton’s heartbeat that says he’s lying. There hasn’t been, not through this whole conversation, and it just solidifies Isaac’s decision to bring Derek and Laura back to life.

The two of them discuss different things for a while before Deaton’s bell goes off in the reception area. Isaac lets himself out the back, after going through to look at the dogs, and thinks maybe when they’re all a family again, he’ll get a dog for Annabel.

 

 

**xx**

When he gets back to the garage, Erica and Lydia are waiting for him outside, both of them wearing big smiles. He doesn’t have to ask; he already knows that they’re wanting to take him “house shopping" and makes them wait outside while he makes sure nothing’s on fire in the garage.

The girls are already in the car when Isaac comes back out and he slides into the backseat, sending Scott a text. He tells the younger man that he’ll probably be a little late and that, if he wants, he can order something for dinner.

And for the next two hours, Isaac is taken around to see a bunch of houses that are beautiful and out his price range. It isn’t until they get to the last one that the Alpha finally finds something that’s affordable and big enough for his family.

Cora, Scott, Annabel, Peter, Derek, Laura, and any other little additions they have can fit comfortably in the eight-bedroom Victorian. It’s gorgeous and Isaac sends videos of it to Scott, promising to bring him by sometime later. The place needs a little bit of work - some paint, maybe new flooring and carpeting - but it’s perfect.

Isaac takes the number for the woman selling the house and has Lydia drive him back to the garage so he can get his car. He tells them he’ll see them on Friday for their weekly pack night and kisses both their cheeks, hugging them tightly.

Then he makes his way home and finds Scott on the couch with Annabel laying beside him, the two of them watching Sesame Street. The beta is saying the letter of the day over and over and Annabel follows suit, squeaking it.

They turn their heads when he says their names and Annabel runs over to him, hugging his legs tightly. Isaac laughs and picks her up, taking her over to sit on the couch beside Scott, who’s working on a third slice of pizza.

Scott talks about the house and Isaac tells him about what Deaton said regarding the spell. The beta thinks it’s a good idea, has since the moment it was brought up, and hearing that someone vouches for it’s safety makes him more insistent.

"I’m going to do it," Isaac tells him later that night, pressing a kiss to Scott’s forehead, sighing against it. “Tomorrow. I’m going to do it tomorrow."

 

 

**xx**

Isaac wakes up the next morning with a faint feeling of dread. He had a nightmare the night before, one where Derek and Laura came back but they weren’t themselves. They were zombies, ones like from The Walking Dead, and Isaac had to kill them again.

Scott’s there when he wakes up, gasping for air, and shushes him quietly, moving a hand down the side of Isaac’s face until he breathes. The last little bit of the dream - the part where Isaac shoots Derek between the eyes - flashes in his mind before disappearing.

When he recalls the dream to Scott, the Alpha bites down on his lower lip and asks if he should go through with this. Scott just looks at him and grins, saying, “Zombies aren’t real."

"They’re going to be soon," is Isaac’s reply before Scott kisses him and announces that he has to go to school. It’s the last few weeks before he graduates and he’s working on a big project.

Once his mate is gone, Isaac moves around the apartment slowly. He lets Cora sleep in, having let her know the night before that they were going through with the spell today, and goes to get Annabel ready.

While his daughter is watching the birds on the ledge and eating Cheerios from a plastic bowl, Isaac texts Stiles.

 **[to: Stiles]**  Are you up for doing the spell today?

 **[to: Isaac]**  Yeah, I am. Are you sure you want to, though?

 **[to: Stiles]**  … Yeah, I’m sure.

 **[to: Isaac]**  Meet me at your old house in two hours.

Isaac sighs, slips his phone into the back pocket of his jeans, and scoops Annabel up off the couch. She squeals and nearly dumps her cereal out but her father catches them, pressing a kiss to her forehead. 

After grabbing her bag, Isaac leaves the apartment and takes Annabel downstairs, his heart pounding behind his rib cage. In two hours - or more, he reminds himself - Derek and Laura are going to be alive. In a few hours, Isaac will have two of the most important people in his life back and he tries not to think about that as he dives Annabel to daycare.

Time goes by quickly after that.

Isaac goes back to the apartment and takes a long shower, only getting out when Cora bangs on the door, announcing, in a very eloquent manner, that she has to piss. She tells him to get his ass out or she’s going to barge in and he laughs at her, though it’s feeble.

Then he walks around the apartment, picking up toys - both Scott and Annabel’s - before putting them away. Before he knows it, an hour and a half has passed and Isaac tells Cora to get ready. She emerges from her room wearing one a sweatshirt he hasn’t seen in a long time.

Derek’s Los Angeles Dodgers hoodie.

"You look good," Isaac mutters and smiles, though it falters after a moment, and he motions for her to go outside. Once she’s out, he locks the door behind them and makes his way down to the Camaro, feeling more and more nauseous by the second.

They climb into the car and start the drive toward their old house, neither of them saying a word to each other. Which is fine with Isaac because he thinks if he says something, he have a panic attack, and that isn’t good for either of them.

 

**xx**

A familiar blue Jeep is waiting for them when Isaac pulls up to the house that he hasn’t been to in a while. Sometimes he goes there when he’s missing his family too much but most of the time he just stays away because there are too many bad memories attached to the burnt out shell of his home.

The Camaro stops beside the Jeep and Isaac parks it, shutting the engine after a moment, staring out the window. He doesn’t see Stiles anywhere, but he can smell him and knows that he’s close. “Come on," he mumbles to Cora and slips out of the car, letting the door shut behind him.

"Isaac?" Stiles calls out, his voice faint.

"Where are you!" Isaac shouts back, waiting for an answer ("in the clearing where your family is buried") before heading that way with his little sister in tow.

They break through the clearing a moment later and see Stiles leaning against a tree, two shovels crossed on the ground in front of him. He looks up from his phone, smiles, and motions to the grave markers that say "Derek" and “Laura". 

"Sorry, but you two are going to have to dig up their graves."

Isaac’s heart sinks into the pit of his stomach and he says, “Are you serious?"

"How else is the spell going to work? I need  _bodies_ , Lahey," Stiles replies and stuffs his phone into his pocket, sighing. “And I would help but Jackson made me _swear_  that I wouldn’t lift a finger to help with the manual labor."

"Of course." The Alpha smiles and motions for Cora to come over. He grabs the shovels and hands one to her before going over to Laura’s grave, swallowing thickly as he breaks the ground.

Stiles watches them for a while and says he’s going inside to grab his things before leaving. Isaac watches him go, dread filling him once more, but then he brings his attention back to the task at hand.

It takes half an hour for the werewolves to dig up the graves and Cora bursts into tears when she sees Derek’s body. Well, it’s not  _his_  body — it’s his wolf’s — and Isaac comes over to wrap his arms around her.

"It’s okay," he whispers and kisses the top of her head before taking Cora over to a rock, sitting her down on it. “I can get them by myself, just sit here until Stiles needs you, okay?"

Cora nods her head and wraps her arms around herself.

This wasn’t a good idea and Isaac is just now starting to see that. He never thought that they’d have to dig their brother and sister up; didn’t think they had to  _see_  their dead bodies but he was wrong.

Oh  _so_  wrong.

Stiles comes back a few minutes later and takes the rope of wolfsbane laying on top of Laura and Derek’s bodies, throwing them as far away as he can. Once that’s done, Isaac starts taking the bodies out of their graves, keeping his jaw clenched.

It takes fifteen minutes and Isaac is panting and sweating by the time he gets Derek’s body laid out next to Laura’s. He thinks he might throw up because the smell — oh  _god,_  the smell is terrible. How Stiles can stand there and take it, especially since he’s pregnant, Isaac doesn’t know.

"Alright, I need you two to drink this." Stiles pours a reddish liquid into two cups and hands one to each werewolf, smiling. “Down the whole thing; it’ll keep you from healing so I can get blood," he explains.

Brother and sister look at each other, their noses turned up, but drink the concoction anyway. Which isn’t too bad, Isaac decides, so he greedily sucks up the last bit before handing the cup back to Stiles.

No one says anything for a while after that. Isaac and Cora huddle close together while Stiles pours strong smelling herbs and potions into a wooden bowl. Once he’s done with that, he brings a knife over an instructs both of them to cut their hand.

Cora goes first and she holds her hand out, palm side up, until Isaac has a matching line going across his palm. When Stiles tells them to, they both clench their fists above the bowl and watch as blood drips into the mixture, turning it a pale pink.

The colour changes quickly, though, going from pink to purple and Stiles tells them that they can stop. Cora jerks her hand away liked it’d been burned and Isaac brings his to his side, letting blood drip onto the ground.

"Now I recite this complicated spell," Stiles mumbles and grins, winking at his friends before moving past them. He steps over the bodies, standing at their heads, and mixes the mess in the bowl with his fingers.

Isaac can’t stop watching Stiles. He’s always been fascinated by magic and people who did it, but watching the other man was captivating. The way Stiles moves and speaks, reciting Latin like he’s been speaking it all his life, makes Isaac shiver.

As he recites the spell, Stiles bends over to draw shapes on both Derek and Laura’s forehead. It smears onto the skin (what’s left, anyway) and burns a bright purple before fading into blue. 

Stiles continues this until there’s nothing left in the mixture and tosses the bowl aside, not breaking for even a second. He says the final words several times and Isaac’s breath catches in his throat.

Nothing happens.

"How - how long does it take?" Cora asks in a small voice.

The question seems to break Stiles out of his reverie and he smiles, grabbing a towel from his hoodie pocket. “Shouldn’t take long," he mumbles and wipes his fingers on the fabric, sighing.

"And you… you’re okay?" Isaac’s voice shakes as he looks at Stiles, trying to smell blood or death on him but all he could smell was the herbs the other man had used

"Yeah, I feel fine." Stiles frowns and puts the towel away as he comes over, kissing Cora’s cheek, then Isaac’s. “Don’t worry about me, okay? I have studied this spell and talked to other people about it and I know what I’m doing," he mutters, patting Isaac’s back.

The Alpha blows out a long breath and nods. Stiles says that he needs to give them time and that he’ll be waiting in his Jeep. He also says that when they’re reanimated, to let him know, so he can make sure they’re okay.

With that, Stiles walks back through the woods, toward the cars. He leaves them alone and Isaac can’t stop staring at the bodies of his brother and sister, watching the shapes on their bodies glow even more.

"We should sit," Cora whispers and tugs Isaac’s hand, bringing him over to the rock he had her sit down on. She shove shim down and climbs onto his lap like she did when they were little, her head tucked underneath his chin.

They wait.. and wait… and wait.

What seems like forever but, in reality, was only thirty minutes pass by and Isaac is starting to think it didn’t work. He opens his mouth to tell Cora they should leave and tell Stiles that they appreciate what he did for them but it was a bust when one of Derek’s fingers move.

It’s just a twitch and Isaac starts thinking that maybe he’s seeing things when Derek’s entire hand moves toward his body. The skin on both his and Laura’s bodies starts to repair itself and Isaac watches in both awe and horror as his brother and sister are brought back to life.

Cora’s breath hitches in her throat and she clings to Isaac, both of their eyes on the sight in front of them. It doesn’t take long for their siblings’ bodies to return to normal and Cora almost slides off Isaac’s lap but he holds her still.

"Wait until they’re done," he whispers and she nods, her hands over her mouth, the ends of the sleeves over her fingers.

Laura’s the first to move; she brings her arm up and lifts it over her head, groaning quietly. Her eyes flick open after that, turning a bright, electric blue, and Isaac gasps softly. Derek is next, almost mimicking his sister’s movements, but instead of lifting his arm, he bends his knee.

For the next five minutes, the only two that move are Derek and Laura. A myriad of noises escape their throats and Isaac just keeps a hold on Cora, not letting her get close until he’s sure it’s safe. He waits, holding his breath, and lets it out in the form of a sob when Laura speaks, though her voice is rusty.

"Isaac?" 

The Alpha is near tears and he swallows, nodding his head. “Laura," he replies and holds onto Cora tightly, squeezing her body against his own.

"Cora?" Derek’s voice is just as rusty and his hazel-eyes search the sky before he tips his head back, groaning with effort, a smile breaking across his face. 

And even if Isaac wanted to, he couldn’t hold Cora back if he tried. She breaks free from his arms and goes over to Derek, falling onto her knees beside his body, her face pressed against his chest. Cora sobs and says his name over and over while Isaac just stares, frozen.

It takes a moment for him to move and he calls Stiles’ name, not sure if he should be leaving Cora with Laura and Derek or not. Their oldest sister is looking at him and Isaac’s heart thumps wildly as he kneels beside her, taking one of her hands.

"What — you look different," Laura says, frowning.

"It’s…" Isaac takes a deep breath and swallows hard, squeezing her hand lightly as he smiles. “We’ll explain it later," he says.

When Stiles comes into the clearing, Laura and Derek are both sitting up with Cora and Isaac between them. They look up, bare their teeth at the human, and Isaac growls at them, snapping his own teeth until they whimper in submission.

"Whoa," Stiles breathes and swallows, coming closer with his hands in the air. Laura sniffs at him, growls a little, and then when Stiles gets closer, she sees to recognize him. 

"Stiles."

The human grins and nods his head. “What’s up, Laura? Long time no see," he mutters and waves to her, then to Derek, who’s looking at him with a confused expression. “Right, you probably want to know what’s going on, hmm?"

Laura and Derek nod slowly.

"Well, there was a fire six years ago," Stiles starts and sighs as he settles on his knees in front of Laura, sitting back on his heels, “and you both died in it. Cora, Peter, and Isaac were the only survivors."

Derek’s eyes widen and he whispers, “It’s been six years?"

"Yes." The human nods his head and licks his lips. “Isaac has recently taken on a mate and this was… my mating present to him — as well as an early one for Cora," Stiles explains, watching both Laura and Derek’s heads turn to look at the youngest, who blushes.

"Why’d you bring us back to life?" Derek asks, bringing his attention back to Stiles, who shrugs his shoulders. He explains the whole thing to them and Isaac even adds to the story, letting them know what’s been happening since they died.

It’s half an hour later before they leave the forest. When Laura sees the house, how it’s mostly gone, she gasps sharply. Derek just stares at it and hugs his sister close, shushing her when she starts to cry. The whole thing  _feels_  normal to Isaac — except that now he’s the same age as his older brother and they’re mourning the family they lost six years ago instead of joining them in the ground.

Isaac tells Laura and Derek they can ride back with him to the apartment, where he’ll get them cleaned up and give them clothes, food. Derek climbs into the back with Cora, who always had a bit of a hero worship when it came to her older brother, and Laura took the passenger seat.

Before they left, Isaac kisses Stiles’ forehead, then his cheeks, and thanks him, over and over, before pressing a hand to his stomach. “You are the best friend I’ve ever had," he whispers and pulls away, smiling brightly.

Then he gets into the car and drives them back to his apartment. No one’s there but the place reeks of Scott and Annabel and the rest of the pack, so Isaac has to explain the situation with them. When she hears about Annabel, Laura smiles and says she can’t wait to meet her.

"You can’t meet her smelling like death," Cora mumbles and shoves Laura down the hallway, showing her where the bathroom is. Isaac watches them and rolls his eyes as he sits down with Derek.

Derek. His older brother; the guy he looked up to and wanted to be like one day… the one who got burned alive.

It’s almost too much for Isaac but he manages a smile. “It’s weird to be the same age as you," he mutters and laughs when Derek hums in agreement. “My mate will be by later and you can meet him, then the rest of the pack."

"Stiles used to be your mate?" Derek asks, quirking a brow.

"Used to be, yes, but we never did the ceremony. Scott and I are hoping that we can do ours as soon as possible." Isaac shrugs and licks his lips, grabbing his phone from his pocket. He sends Erica a text, letting her know what’s going on, and then looks at Derek. “This is a huge shock to you, huh?"

Derek shrugs and laughs, the sound rusty. “I keep thinking that Lily is going to be running through the house at any moment, screaming at the top of her lungs," he mumbles.

Talking about their younger siblings makes Isaac’s chest tighten. He tries not to think about them but it’s hard, especially now that he has his older siblings back. 

"Yeah, well… as much as I hate to say this, she’s gone." Isaac’s voice cracks and he clears his throat, running a hand down the side of his face, making a noise when Derek grabs his wrist.

The other man looks at his tattoos, grinning. “I approve," he says and runs a finger along the paw prints, then along the swirls.

"Yeah, I decided tattoos were awesome and I wanted a bunch."

They talk about tattoos — and Derek makes a triumphant noise when he sees that his own are still there — until Laura gets out of the shower. She disappears into Cora’s room, the two of them talking while Derek gets up to take a shower next.

Isaac gets a pair of jeans and a t-shirt for his brother, knowing that they’ll have to go shopping for things that fit… but for now, he’s just going to bask in the happiness. Because he has most of his family and he has a small pack of his own, which just got bigger by two.

God, Isaac can’t wait for the pack to meet Derek and Laura.


	21. Chapter 21

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Derek and Laura meet the pack, which has a surprising outcome.

The first few hours of their being reanimated, Derek and Laura decide to spend it taking naps because apparently coming back to life takes a lot out of you and they’re exhausted. Cora makes a comment that they were dead for six years, so they’d already taken a nap, and both Derek and Laura pinch her teasingly as they make their way to the bedrooms.

Which is when Isaac realizes that he really, really needs to buy a house or think of putting Derek and Laura up somewhere else. The apartment isn’t big enough for him, Cora, Annabel, and the two other wolves; not even if one of them slept on the couch and the other bunked with Cora.

Isaac and Cora set about making the apartment smell less like death once their siblings are asleep. Laura is the only one out of the bunch that’s older than them - being twenty-four years old - and it feels strange. She should be thirty, should have a family and a mate and a couple of kids of her own. 

Derek should, too, and Isaac hopes they can find someone now.

 

 

**xx**

Scott is the first to come over. He walks into the apartment, just a little after four in the afternoon, with a camera bag hanging from his shoulder and a pair of dark aviators balanced on the tip of his nose. The other wolves are sitting in the living room, talking, but they all go silent when the beta walks in.

And Scott stops in his tracks when he sees Derek and Laura.

"Good, you’re here," Isaac says and laughs, pushing himself away from Laura, who had been cuddling him - fucking cuddling him like he was a three year old or something. The Alpha walks over to Scott, leans down to peck him on the lips, and motions to his family. “That’s Laura," he points at her and then to Derek, “and my big brother, Derek."

Derek and Laura smile, waving.

"Um.." Scott blinks behind his shades. “Nice to meet you," he says, sounding like he’s uncertain and Isaac knew this was going to happen.

Isaac rubs a hand along his back and smiles. “They’re not going to bite you, don’t worry," he mutters and presses a gentle kiss to Scott’s forehead before moving back to the couch. 

Laura tucks her legs up and sits in the corner, against the armrest, watching as Scott follows Isaac over. “You’re handsome," she says and smiles brightly, a strand of dark hair falling in front of her face.

"Thank you," Scott replies and sits down next to Isaac, setting the camera on the table, clearing his throat. “You’re very pretty yourself."

"You don’t have to suck up to her," Derek mutters and laughs when his sister reaches over to smack him on the thigh. “She already loves you."

At this, Scott raises an eyebrow and looks at Isaac. “How?"

"I’ve told them all about you and… they can smell you in the apartment, so they’ve learned to accept and love you from that." Isaac shrugs and puts his hand on Scott’s knee, squeezing it lightly. “Relax. I know this is new and, believe me, it’s new for all of us too but… you’re going to love them," he whispers, smiling reassuringly.

Scott nods his head and takes his shades off, folding them. He sets the glasses on the coffee table, looking between Derek and Laura. Isaac can see there are questions rolling around in his mind and laughs, nuzzling his mate a little as he whispers, “Ask whatever you want."

"Okay," the beta sighs and smiles. “Why are you blonde and they have darker hair?"

The question makes them all laugh and Laura takes it upon herself to answer for Isaac. “Well, my hair is darker because I used to dye it. I think my hair colour used to be the same as Cora’s," she says, motioning to the beta sitting on the floor, leaning against Derek’s legs. “But none of us know why Is is dirty blonde and we’re not."

"Our mother," Derek interjects, “had dark brown hair. It was almost black and our father’s hair was light, like Cora’s and Isaac’s. The further back you go in our family, the lighter the hair colour, and our younger siblings were blonder, too."

Cora hums and nods. “Our baby sister, Lily, was the blondest out of all of us. Her hair was almost white," she breathes.

When Cora brings Lily up, Isaac swallows and looks away, down at the hand on Scott’s knee. He smiles a little when the beta slips their palms together, lacing their fingers before squeezing their hands.

"And how old are you guys?" Scott asks.

"I’m twenty-two," Derek answers.

"Twenty-four." Laura beams.

"And you already know how old I am," Cora answers, grinning.

Scott blinks and mumbles, “Is that the age you’d be now, if you hadn’t died in the fire, or is that how old you were when the fire happened?"

"That’s how old they were," Isaac answers for them, brushing his thumb along the length of Scott’s. “Our other siblings were all under ten years old when the fire happened."

"Oh." The beta purses his lips and lays his head on Isaac’s shoulder, going quiet for a moment. “How old is Peter, then?"

A laugh bubbles up from Isaac’s throat and he mutters, “Peter is thirty."

"Dude! Peter’s only two years older than Derek?"

"He’s the same age as me," Laura says and shrugs. “Our father was the oldest in his family and Peter was the youngest."

Scott stares at them and starts laughing. That breaks the tension in the room and all the other wolves join him, chuckling as they talk about how awkward it must have been for their grandmother to be pregnant at the same time as Isaac’s mother. 

"Our dad was only eighteen when he got our mom pregnant," Isaac mumbles and leans back on the couch with Scott in his arms.

The beta asks more questions, directing them to Derek and Laura, sometimes throwing one at Isaac, and it’s good. Easy. Isaac had been worried that maybe Scott wouldn’t fit in with his family but it was almost as if they had known each other all their lives. 

An hour later, the rest of the pack starts filing into the apartment.

Boyd, Erica, and Lydia are the next to come over. When Boyd comes into the apartment, Cora jumps up and goes over to him, which answers the unspoken question that Isaac can see flash across Derek’s face. 

"This," Cora says, tugging Boyd toward where her big brother is, “is Derek — my favourite big brother." When she says that, the beta looks at Isaac and sticks her tongue out. It’s silly and stupid but it makes the Alpha laugh and he does it back to her.

Everyone else is introduced and Isaac drags the dining chairs into the living room so there are more places for people to sit. Boyd and Cora sit on the couch with Laura, their hands clasped. Isaac takes a seat on one of the chairs with Scott on his lap, arms looped around the beta’s waist.

Erica and Lydia sit in the other two chairs, while Derek sits in the big recliner because apparently “he was the older brother and he got to have the nice char". He didn’t even bat a lash when Isaac said that he was the Alpha and it was his chair.

"When am I going to meet the baby?" Laura asks, pouting as she stares pointedly at Isaac, who laughs. He says that Stiles and Jackson will come by later because even though Alpha Whittemore has a pack of his own, Isaac still considers them both family.

For a while, they all talk about Derek and Laura. Erica and Lydia offer to take her and Cora out shopping, to do a little girl bonding, and Laura jumps at the chance. She says that it’s been six years since she’s had a new outfit and she needs new, hip clothes.

They’re discussing what to order for dinner when someone knocks on the door and Isaac goes to answer it. Allison is standing on the other side, wearing a red and white plaid shirt, a pair of short shorts, and gray tights. Her hair is in loose curls and she’s got a bright smile on her face, dimples set deep into her cheeks.

Before Isaac can say anything, Laura shouts, “Oh my god, who is that?"

"Um," Allison chuckles nervously and steps into the apartment, waving her hand lightly. The charm bracelet on her wrist jingles when it moves and Laura stares at her, though Allison is staring right back.

And Isaac grins.

"Allison, this is my sister, Laura." Isaac puts a hand on the small of his beta’s back and ushers her over to the couch. “Laura, this is Allison — she’s one of my betas," he explains and steps back, watching the two of them.

Laura’s heart is pounding and the Alpha can hear it, noticing that Allison’s is doing the exact same thing, and he laughs. They introduce themselves to each other and Laura nearly tugs Allison down onto the couch with her, their eyes never leaving one another.

A few minutes later, Derek wrinkles his nose and shouts, “Am I the only person in this room that isn’t disgustingly in love with someone?"

"Don’t worry," Cora says through her giggles, “you’ll find someone."

Isaac gives Derek a knowing look. They both figured out who his older brother’s mate was before and neither had spoken about it, not even once, and it was something that Isaac hadn’t thought about in a long time.

They would talk about it later, the Alpha decides, and goes outside to call the pizza place, putting in an order for several pizzas. It was the only thing the entire pack agreed on and he heads back in, sitting down on Scott’s lap as he announces that dinner will be there in thirty minutes.

So they all talk and Scott gets up to take pictures of all of them, though he saves the group shot for last, when Stiles gets there. It’s nice and they all feel more like a pack than they did before. Isaac just hopes that things can stay this way for a while because he loves his family and he loves his pack and he’s glad they’re all getting along so well.

When Stiles, Jackson, and Annabel do show up, the pizza has already been delivered and everyone is eating. The apartment is packed with people and some wolves - Cora and Lydia - are sitting on their mates’ laps while they eat.

Stiles walks into the apartment and laughs. “You could have told me the whole bunch was going to be here," he says and comes over to where Isaac is sitting with Scott, putting a hand on the back of his head. “Jackson is getting Annabel from the car."

"I finally - " Laura chews the bite in her mouth before continuing. " - get to meet my niece? Ugh, it’s like Christmas! I found my mate, got my life back, and I get to meet Isaac’s adorable child."

Derek hums in agreement while grabbing his third slice. “She’s going to be afraid of us, though," he mumbles and takes a bit out of his pizza, looking at Isaac when he snorts.

"She’s not going to be afraid of you guys. She took to Scott and Cora right away, so she’ll take to you two immediately."

While they wait for Jackson, Isaac moves to give his seat to Stiles. He stands behind the chair, anxiously tapping his fingers against the top of it, looking over at the door every few seconds. Eventually, Jackson walks through with a little girl attacked to his hip and he smiles.

"It smells like wolves and pizza in this place." Jackson grins and shuts the door, bringing Annabel over to Isaac, who takes her immediately. They nod their heads at each other and Isaac knows that he’s never going to be one hundred percent okay with Jackson being around… but he’s definitely warming up to the guy.

Isaac kisses Annabel’s forehead and points to Laura, who’s holding her face with both hands. “That’s your Auntie Laura," he says and then points to Derek, who’s staring at the little girl with a smile, “and your Uncle Derek. Do you wanna say hi to them?"

The little girl looks at the other wolves and wraps her arms around Isaac’s neck, nuzzling against him for a moment. She pulls away and waves her hand at Derek, then to Laura, before saying, “Hi."

"Oh my god," Laura breathes, covering her mouth with one her hands, her eyes bright and shining in the light. “Isaac, she is the cutest fucking thing in the whole entire world!"

Stiles laughs and says, “Thanks; he did have some help, you know."

Laura blushes as she drops her hand and nods. “She’s adorable, Stiles, and she looks just like you. Minus the curls; those are definitely Isaac’s."

"Pack," Annabel says, pointing to Laura and Derek. “Smells good."

"The food or pack?" Isaac asks, quirking a brow as he watches his daughter purse her lips together in thought. She shouts ‘both!’ and squirms around in her father’s arms until he lets her down.

Once she’s on the floor, Annabel walks forward and leans against Cora’s legs, peering at Laura over top of them. Isaac can tell that she’s not quite ready to meet them yet and keeps an eye on her the entire time.

The grown ups throw themselves into conversation. Everyone wants to know about Scott and Isaac’s mating ceremony, which brings them to the discussion of Scott’s graduation and he says he has an announcement.

"I am going to be graduating soon," he says and laughs when everyone claps; some of them whistle and whoop. “Okay, okay, stop it. It’s not that important, it’s just… the ceremony is in three weeks. My last class is on Friday."

Isaac beams and leans over to kiss the top of Scott’s head. “I’m proud of you," he whispers and nuzzles the beta a little, smiling against his hair.

"Me too," Stiles says, patting Scott’s leg with a smile.

Everyone else agrees and they go back to talking.

Half an hour passes and Annabel has gotten closer to Laura. She eventually moves to sit on Allison’s lap, letting her tousle her curls a little, and looks up at Laura with big eyes.

"Hi, honey," Laura says in a sweet voice, holing her hands out to Annabel, who looks at them before turning to look at Allison.

The beta nods her head and says, “It’s okay. She’s not going to hurt you."

Annabel nods and scrambles off Allison’s lap, plopping herself down onto Laura’s instead. She curls up against the beta and sighs, her head tucked underneath her aunt’s chin, eyes fluttering shut.

"Look, she likes me." Laura grins and turns to Derek, who’s got a pout on his face but they all know it’s for show. “She doesn’t like you," she says and sticks her tongue out, running a hand down Annabel’s back.

For the rest of the night, Annabel stays on Laura’s lap. She plays with her hair and listens to the grown ups talk. It’s only before she’s about to go to sleep that Annabel climbs onto Derek’s lap, squealing when he hugs her tightly.

"I guess I should call that woman about the house, huh?" Isaac asks as he leans against the wall, arms crossed over his chest. The others look up at him and the only ones that look confused are Derek and Laura. He laughs and licks his lips quickly. “The apartment isn’t big enough for all of us and I know you two are going to need a place to live. I have money left, from the insurance policy, and I can make mortgage payments easily."

Laura smiles softly at him and bites her lip. “Are you sure you want us to live with you? I mean, we can find somewhere else to go," she mumbles.

"No fucking way. I want you guys to stay with me. Plus, we need the space for Peter, too, and Scott and I need a house."

"I think it’s a great idea," Derek pipes up and shrugs, running his hand through Annabel’s hair as she fell asleep on his chest. “We could all be a family and when we find jobs, we can just move out."

The pack murmurs in agreement and Laura sighs. “Okay, yeah, that sounds like a good idea when you put it that way," she mutters.

Lydia tells Isaac to call the woman as soon as possible so he can snatch the house before anyone else does. He nods, says he’ll do it tomorrow when he gets to work, and then everyone falls into easy conversation with each other.

"I should get going soon," Boyd says and sighs, resting his chin on Cora’s shoulder, his arms encircling her.

"Oh, no, wait!" Scott says and grabs his camera. “We need to take a pack picture."

Isaac laughs and looks at the others. They don’t seem to be protesting it, so he just shrugs and moves into position. Everyone stands up, putting the shorter people in the front, and Derek stands next to Isaac with Annabel in his arms. She wakes up and says, “Picture?"

"Yes, baby," the Alpha says, smiling at her. “We’re taking a picture."

Scott puts the camera on the top of the entertainment center, checks to make sure that everyone’s in the frame, and puts the timer on. He comes over and squeezes in between Allison and Cora, letting Isaac’s arm wrap around his waist.

Everyone counts down and Scott says, “Say cheese!"

The wolves laugh and obey just before the camera snaps. Once it’s taken, Scott goes to pick the camera up and smiles, showing the picture to everyone. They murmur about it, say that it’s a good one, and Isaac says he’ll get them all a copy.

Then everyone starts leaving.

Boyd is first, though he spends a few minutes saying goodbye to Cora and kissing her, which makes both Derek and Isaac uneasy. Erica and Lydia are next; they peck Laura and Derek on the cheek before saying they’ll see them later. Allison is next and Laura acts like a lovesick puppy when she heads to the door. They exchange numbers, smile at each other, and Laura kisses Allison on the cheek.

"Our sister’s in love," Cora sings, drawing the last word out.

Stiles and Jackson are next. They kiss Annabel goodbye, hug Laura, Derek, Cora, and Isaac before heading to the door. Scott waves at them and leans against Isaac’s side, yawning quietly. 

Soon it’s just them and the apartment is quiet.

"I’m going to put Annabel down," Derek says and carries her into the bedroom before Isaac can say anything. He watches his big brother walk away and smiles, something swelling in his chest. Pride? Love? Both? Isaac doesn’t know.

They sit around for a while after that and Laura pumps Isaac for information about Allison. She’s adorable, honestly, and the Alpha answers all of her questions without hesitation. It sates her and when Isaac tells his sister to just learn about Allison on her own, Laura puts him in a headlock.

At the end of the night, Laura and Cora are rooming together. Derek gets the couch and Isaac and Scott lay in their bed. The house is quiet, save for the sound of six heartbeats in the house, and Isaac can’t wait until they have a home and Peter’s out of rehab.


	22. Chapter 22

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Scott graduates and Derek's reunited with his mate.

The next three weeks are hectic for the entire pack.

Derek and Laura try to get their lives straightened out. They have to pull a lot of strings with a lot of different people in order to get the government to believe that they’ve been alive for the past six years instead of dead, like they all thought. It takes a little bit of work but they’re able to work something out — with the help of Isaac and, more importantly, Sheriff Stilinski.

And Isaac has a lot on his plate. He has the garage to run, a family to take care of, and has to do a lot of research about buying a home before he even goes through with calling the real estate agent to talk about putting an offer on the house. Melissa and Sheriff Stilinski help him a lot, giving him tips about how to go about buying a house, and by the end of the three weeks, Isaac is waiting to hear if the offer he put on the house was approved or not.

 

 

**xx**

"I’m no longer a college student." Scott’s voice brings Isaac out of his thoughts and he looks up from the paperwork he was filling out, quirking a brow. “I graduate tomorrow," he murmurs when the Alpha looks at him and puts his chin on his hand, sighing heavily.

Isaac purses his lips together to keep himself from grinning and puts his pen down. “Isn’t that kind of the point of going to college — to graduate and have a diploma?"

"Yes but… it feels surreal, you know?"

"Mmm."

"Like, I won’t be going to school every day and I’ll have to find a job."

"Sounds tough," Isaac murmurs and then grins when Scott throws a pen cap at him. “You’ll find a job and you’ll be fine, I promise."

Scott frowns and stretches his arms out across the table, laying his head on his bicep. “I know I’ll be fine but it just feels weird," he mumbles.

They go silent then; Isaac finishes his paperwork and puts it up somewhere he can find it before going to sit on Scott’s lap. He cradles his mate’s face in his hands and leans in to kiss him gently, smiling against his mouth. “You’ll be fine," he whispers, brushing their noses together.

"You think so?"

"Of course. You’re good at what you do and you’ll find a job quickly."

"What if I don’t?" Scott groans, looping his arms around Isaac’s waist. 

Isaac sighs and wraps his own arms around the beta’s neck. “Then you can come work at the garage with me for a while or at least until you find something," he answers.

"You know I can’t fix cars."

"Well, then you can always clean the garage for us."

Scott laughs and buries his face against the crook of Isaac’s neck. “I don’t think I want to do that… and I think I might want to be a wedding-slash-mate ceremony photographer," he mumbles against the Alpha’s skin, sighing. “Does that sound stupid?"

"No, it sounds like a good idea. There are always weddings and ceremonies going on."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah," Isaac says and kisses Scott’s temple. “Speaking of mating ceremonies… we need to go through some last-minute things for ours."

A groan escapes Scott’s throat before he mutters, “Do we have to?"

"No, we don’t have to. We can just wing it."

"That’s a lie," Scott grumbles.

"I’m sorry." The Alpha smirks and playfully nips at Scott’s cheekbone. “We just need to figure out who to invite and who we want to perform the ceremony."

Scott goes silent for a while and then says, “Obviously the pack is going to be there and my mom… I can’t think of anyone else."

"Well… do you want Stiles and Jackson there?"

"They’re pack, aren’t they?"

"Kind of, I guess," Isaac states, shrugging his shoulders. “Jackson has his own pack, though, but… Stiles is my best friend, so it would be nice to have them there."

"Then Stiles and Jackson are on the list. Anyone else?"

Isaac shakes his head and smiles. “Now who do we want to do the ceremony?"

"Well," Scott sighs, “I don’t know anyone that does magic except for Stiles."

"There’s Deaton," Isaac points out.

"Do you think he would do it?"

"Yeah, probably. We need to ask him, though, because the ceremony is a few weeks away."

The beta nods his head and kisses Isaac’s neck. “Then we’ll ask him tomorrow, maybe? After we get home from my graduation," he mutters.

"Sounds good to me." Isaac laughs and buries his face against Scott’s hair for a moment before pulling back. He gets off his mate’s lap and puts his hand out, grinning. “We have the house all to ourselves for a while."

Scott doesn’t need to hear anymore. He gets up and slips his hand into Isaac’s, lacing their fingers together before following the Alpha into their bedroom. They both trip over a doll in the hallway and laugh together, stumbling into their room before falling on the bed, Scott laying on top of Isaac with a grin.

"I love you," the beta whispers and kisses Isaac gently.

The Alpha hums and says, “I love you too."

Without saying another word, Scott pulls away and sits on Isaac’s lap. He takes his own shirt off and throws it somewhere into the corner before undoing his jeans. Isaac watches him and bites down on his lower lip, hands moving all along his mate’s arms and shoulders, slipping down the middle of his back.

Once his jeans are undone, Scott pulls away and kicks out of the denim. Then he undoes Isaac’s pants, tugging them down his legs before throwing them onto the floor, pressing kisses along the Alpha’s thighs. He smirks when Isaac groans and arches his back, one hand going to the back of Scott’s head.

Isaac breathes in deeply when he feels Scott’s mouth on the front of his boxers. He’s half hard already and groans, the fingers in his beta’s hair tightening. “Scott," he breathes.

"Yeah?"

"I’m supposed to be doing this to you, since you graduate tomorrow."

Scott snorts and licks at Isaac’s cock through the fabric of his boxers. “You can give me this as a graduation present," he murmurs.

The Alpha doesn’t argue, mostly because Scott is mouthing at his cock and it feels so good that he just lets himself focus on that. He closes his eyes and lifts his hips when Scott starts to tug his boxers down, running his tongue across his lips slowly.

As soon as Isaac’s underwear is off, Scott leans in to lick the head of his cock. He wraps a hand around the base, teasing the slit lightly for a moment before sinking down, taking the entire length of Isaac’s cock into his mouth. A loud, sharp gasp fill the air and Scott grins around the Alpha before sucking him slowly.

"Scott.." Isaac whines, his hands going to the back of his mate’s hair. He thrusts his hips forward and growls when Scott’s hands rest on his hips, holding him down against the mattress. “Fuck, Scott."

Humming, the beta starts to bob his head up and down, hollowing his cheeks out. He moves one hand to wrap around the base again, brushing his thumb along the underside as he moves back down, moaning around Isaac. The noise vibrates through the Alpha’s cock and he arches his back, scratching Scott’s scalp lightly, encouraging him.

As he sucks and teases Isaac with his tongue, Scott moves his other hand down to cup the Alpha’s balls, rolling them between his fingers. He looks up at his mate, eyes flashing gold for a second, and takes him completely — though this time, Scott keeps Isaac in his throat, making noises around him as he breathes through his nose.

Isaac growls and thrusts his hips forward again. “Fuck, I’m not going to last long if you keep doing that," he groans.

That just makes Scott double his efforts. He sucks hard and long, squeezing the base of Isaac’s cock as he continues to roll his balls lightly. The more noises the Alpha makes, the harder Scott sucks and he sinks back down, slipping his fingers down to press against Isaac’s perineum. 

"Fuck!"

Scott pulls off and grins before murmuring, “Come for me."

Then he seals his lips around the head and sucks slowly, tongue moving along the slit as he strokes the shaft quickly, his eyes never leaving Isaac’s face. He continues to rub his fingers against that sensitive skin and growls, smirking when Isaac starts to thrust his hips forward a little more.

It takes a few minutes of Scott stroking and teasing the head of his cock for Isaac to come. He lets out a long, loud moan and arches his back off the mattress, his hips stuttering forward; some of his come gets in Scott’s mouth but when he pulls off, he shoots some onto his face and lips.

Isaac falls against the mattress after he comes and breathes hard, moving his hands away from Scott’s head, letting them lay on the bed beside his thighs. “Fuck," he says and laughs breathlessly, letting out a whine when the beta bites the inside of his thigh.

"You’re welcome," Scott says in a sing-song voice.

"Mm," Isaac hums and grins, pulling Scott up so he can clean the beta’s face off. He licks the come from his mate’s skin and sucks on his lower lip, then the top one. “Thank you."

Scott nods and kisses Isaac deeply, pressing a hand against the side of his neck. The pad of his thumb brushes along the Alpha’s jaw as they kiss and Scott opens his mouth, letting his mate’s tongue slide in between his lips. A shudder passes through him when he feels it press against his own and Scott wraps their tongues together, grinding down against Isaac slowly.

After a moment, Isaac pulls away and moves one hand down, resting it on Scott’s ass. “Do you want me to help you with your problem?"

"Would you?"

Instead of answering, Isaac rolls them over and presses Scott against the mattress. It’s been so easy for them to make each other come lately that the Alpha isn’t worried about how long it’s going to take for Scott’s orgasm to hit. The beta is already hard and Isaac slips his hand down, fingers sliding underneath the waistband of Scott’s boxers. 

Once his hand is wrapped around Scott’s cock, Isaac leans down to kiss and bite along his neck, going up his pulse and back down. He pumps his hand slowly, brushing his thumb along the head on every upstroke, and squeezes the base once he goes down.

Scott tilts his head to the side and rolls his hips up, gasping. “Isaac.."

"Shh," Isaac murmurs, nosing along Scott’s jaw gently, “I’ve got you."

Isaac pulls away long enough to take the beta’s boxers off and leans in to kiss across his chest, biting here and there. The marks disappear soon and Isaac just keeps making them, loving how Scott moans his name each time he sinks his teeth in before sucking on the mark, like he’s trying desperately to give Scott a hickey.

As he does this, the Alpha strokes his mate’s cock harder than before. He moves his other hand down, slipping it between the mattress and Scott’s body, gripping his ass firmly. A moan fills the air and Isaac grins, moving down to flick his tongue against the beta’s nipple, then moving across to do the same thing to the other.

"Isaac…" Scott whines, breathing hard as he bucks his hips forward. “Come on."

Laughing quietly, Isaac moves down and takes Scott’s cock into his mouth before the younger man can complain or say anything more. He sucks slowly, savoring the taste of Scott on his tongue, and then starts to suck harder, cheeks hollowing out as he pulls off.

The beta moves his hips against Isaac’s mouth and he hums, encouraging him. The hand that was on Scott’s ass moves and cups his balls instead, squeezing lightly as the Alpha continues to suck his cock quickly. He can smell how close Scott is, can feel the temperature in the room rise a few degrees, and growls around his mate’s length.

Scott whimpers and moans, letting out a litany of curse words. Isaac’s name mixes in with them and he arches off the mattress when his orgasm hits. It’s not as intense as the others, not by a long shot, but it’s still amazing and leaves him breathless.

And Isaac just sucks him through it, swallowing everything Scott gives him. He pulls off only when the beta whimpers and tells him to, complaining about the over sensitivity. 

"You’re welcome," Isaac says, clearing mocking Scott, and grins as he kisses his way up the beta’s body, pressing their lips together. They kiss for a moment and it’s slow, languid, before the Alpha pulls back and takes his shirt off, throwing it onto the floor. He wraps his arms around Scott, kisses his shoulder, and murmurs, “Go to sleep."

Yawning, Scott nods and snuggles against Isaac. “Okay," he breathes and closes his eyes, smiling as he adds, “goodnight."

Isaac holds the beta close and listens to his breathing even out. He smiles and nuzzles his mate a little, yawning quietly against his hair before going to sleep. Tomorrow is a big day for Scott and Isaac wants it to be a good day for him, without any kind of drama.

 

 

 

**xx**

When Isaac wakes up in the morning, Scott is already gone. There’s a note on the nightstand saying that he had to do some last minute things and that he would see him later. The Alpha smiles and stretches out on the mattress, groaning loudly as he stares at the ceiling, licking his lips quickly. There are a few hours to kill before Scott’s graduation, so Isaac gets out of bed and goes to take a shower.

After taking his shower, Isaac walks around the house, checking on everyone. They came in during the night, while the Alpha and Scott were asleep, and neither of them woke up when they heard the others come home. Isaac wasn’t even sure that they would come home.

Derek’s passed out face-first on the couch and Isaac grins as he goes over, clapping his brother on the shoulder. “Wake up," he says and shakes Derek a little.

"Don’t wanna," Derek answers in a grumble, turning his face away from Isaac.

"So you don’t want to go see Peter with me?" It was a spur of the moment decision, seeing as none of them have had the time to go see their uncle, and Isaac knows that Derek won’t pass up the opportunity to go see him.

At the mention of Peter, Derek turns over on the couch and opens his eyes, though he narrows them at Isaac, his lips pursed. “Are we really going to see him?"

"As long as you get your ass up and get ready, yes."

"Okay, okay." Derek blows out a long breath and runs a hand over the side of his face. He gets up then, shedding out of his clothes as he makes his way to the bathroom and Isaac shakes his head, snorting as he watches his brother disappear.

This will be a good trip for them and Isaac hopes that Peter is doing well enough to recognize Derek. He also hopes that their uncle doesn’t freak out because Derek is supposed to be dead and, well, isn’t so much. That wasn’t something Isaac thought about, not until now, and he makes a face as he thinks about Peter getting scared of Derek.

Isaac pushes those thoughts away and puts a pot of coffee on, figuring they could just grab something quick and easy for breakfast, something they can take with them. He walks around the kitchen and cleans things up, humming under his breath as he waits for the coffee to finish dripping. 

Once it has, Derek is out of the bathroom and wearing his new clothes: a dark gray Henley and a pair of black jeans. It’s not a shock that Derek chose dark colours when they went shopping and Isaac should have known that his taste in clothes wouldn’t change — even after dying and coming back.

"How do I look?" Derek asks and if Isaac wouldn’t know any better, he’d say that his brother is nervous.

"You look fine," he replies and smiles, pouring coffee into a travel mug. He grabs the other one, doing the same thing, and hands it to Derek when he comes in. They fix their coffee in silence and Isaac goes to pull his shoes on, setting his mug on the table by the door before going to check on Cora and Laura.

They’re both asleep, so he opts for leaving hem a note so they don’t wake up and panic, wondering where their brothers went. He leaves it on the fridge and, in big block letters, has written ‘Derek and I went to see Peter. Be back soon’. 

Derek’s waiting by the door when Isaac comes out of the kitchen and he smiles, motioning for his brother to go ahead. He follows after grabbing his keys and coffee, sipping on it as he makes his way down the stairs, going over to the Camaro. The doors unlock and both werewolves slip in, Isaac behind the wheel and Derek in the passenger seat.

The ride is silent and Isaac is okay with that. He knows that Derek is nervous and excited, can feel those emotions rolling off his brother in waves, and smiles. It’s been six years and the Alpha knows how close Derek and Peter used to be, just hopes that they can continue being that close now.

When they get to the rehabilitation center, Isaac parks in the guest lot and downs the rest of his coffee before looking at Derek. He lifts his eyebrows in question, asking his brother if he’s ready, and when Derek nods his head, they get out of the Camaro.

"Do you think he’ll remember me?" Derek asks as they walk through the front doors and Isaac shrugs his shoulders, telling his brother how Peter knew who they were. That sates Derek and he nods while Isaac talks to the nurse at the front desk, letting them know they’re wanting to see Peter.

The woman behind the desk makes them sign in and Isaac nods his head, smiling as he thanks her before taking Derek down the hallway. The place smells like sickness and werewolves, the two scents not really going together but Isaac tries not to focus on that.

Peter’s room is the last one on the right and Isaac stops in front of the door, looking at Derek with a small smile as he asks, “You ready?"

"As ready as I’m ever going to be," Derek answers and laughs.

Isaac nods and opens the door, pushing it open before going into the room. It’s a plain bedroom, set up to look more like a hospital room, and Peter is sitting on the edge of the bed, looking out the window. He turns when he hears the door open and his eyes settle on Isaac and then Derek, a smile spreading across his face.

"I think that answers the ‘does he remember me’ question." The Alpha smirks and comes forward to sit in the chair beside the window, sitting close to Peter. “How are you doing?"

Peter doesn’t look at Isaac, just stares at Derek. “Well," he answers.

"Hey, you can talk better! That’s awesome," Isaac murmurs and motions for Derek to come forward, his own heartbeat thundering in his ears. He watches his brother come over to the bed, hesitating for a moment before sitting down on the edge. 

"How.." Peter starts, shaking his head.

Derek laughs and shrugs. “You remember Stiles? Yeah, well, apparently he thought it was a good idea to bring me and Laura back," he answers.

No one says anything for a long time and Isaac wonders if maybe he shouldn’t be there. It feels like this moment is… private and thinks about getting up before Peter speaks to him.

"How is Annabel?"

"Oh, she’s good. We would have visited but everyone’s been busy," Isaac answers and shrugs, smiling when Peter turns to look at him. His blue eyes are clear and he’s still smiling, his hand curled on the mattress between him and Derek. “And hopefully I’ll be getting a house, so you can come stay with us when you get better."

That makes Peter smile more and he nods. “Are Laura and Derek staying with you?"

"For now, yeah. They’re gonna move in with me, too, at least until they find a job."

"And has Laura… found a mate?" Peter asks, quirking a brow — the very one that used to be scarred and half gone. It’s grown back and looks just like it used to before the fire.

Isaac nods and grins. “Her mate is one of my betas, Allison."

"That’s good."

"Cora found a mate, too," Derek pipes up and Isaac looks at him, noticing that his brother can’t stop staring at Peter and his heart thumps in his chest. “So we’ve all got someone."

Peter turns his head and smiles, putting his hand on Derek’s knee. “Yes, we do."

"Okay, well, you two need to catch up." Isaac sighs and stands, stretching. “Do you want me to leave you here for a while, Derek? I need to go to the garage and do some stuff before I get ready for Scott’s graduation."

"Huh?" Derek looks at Isaac, his cheeks flushed. “Yeah, that’d be great. You can come pick me up later or I can just… get a cab or something," he answers, shrugging.

A laugh bubbles up from Isaac’s throat and he nods. He hugs Derek, then embraces Peter before pulling away, telling them to be good. They both just grin at him and Isaac rolls his eyes, wondering if he should warn the nurse at the end of the hall.

After waving to them one last time, the Alpha disappears into the hall and goes down to the nurse’s station, signing himself out. She smiles brightly and asks about the other man, what happened to him, and Isaac says, “Derek? He’s Peter’s mate, so he’ll be spending some… time here with him."

The nurse looks at him and smiles understandingly. She nods and tells Isaac to have a good day, to which he replies the same before leaving, stepping outside in with a sigh. He never thought it was weird for his uncle and brother to be mated, just went with it because Derek was head over heels in love with Peter. He knows that it isn’t uncommon for someone to be mated to another in their family — that just means they can’t have children biologically. Which will be hard for Derek, Isaac knows, but he and Peter can get around it.

Once he’s way from the center, Isaac goes to the garage to do some work. He gave himself the day off, giving Erica and Boyd more responsibility around the place, but he needs something to do to occupy his time. And waiting by the phone for a call from their real estate agent isn’t a viable option.

Erica puts him to work on a Cadillac and Isaac has a few hours of busy work to keep his mind off the things that are going on with the pack. He works until he has to go home and get ready for Scott’s graduation, throwing on his best “formal" wear before going to pick Annabel and Melissa up.

 

 

**xx**

The auditorium where Scott’s graduation is being held is huge. There are a lot of people there and Isaac just follows Melissa to the middle rows of seats, where they find two empty. He sits down with Annabel on his lap and she looks at all the people with her thumb in her mouth, leaning back against Isaac’s chest.

"So today’s the big day," Isaac says and turns to look at Melissa, smiling.

"And it’s a day I never thought would get here," she mumbles.

Isaac raises a brow and asks, “Why?"

"Because… in high school, Scott never used to pay attention. I think it was because his father left us and he was having a hard time coping for a long time. Then he straightened up in his last year and started doing well."

"Were you surprised when he said he wanted to go to college?"

"Kind of," Melissa says and laughs, running her fingers through Annabel’s hair. “But then I got used to him going to class and talking about college. Now my baby’s grown up and he’ll be mated soon, with a family of his own." 

When she says that, Melissa looks kind of sad and Isaac frowns. He knows that she isn’t seeing anyone and wonders if Sheriff Stilinski would like her. That gives him and idea and Isaac grins, shaking his head when Melissa asks what the smile is for.

More people come in and soon everyone is sitting around. Annabel squirms on Isaac’s lap and he whispers in her ear, tells her to sit still like a good girl. To keep her entertained, he gets a book from the diaper bag sitting between him and Melissa and hands it to her. That keeps Annabel quiet for a while and Isaac leans his head against hers.

The ceremony starts and Melissa puts her hand on Isaac’s forearm, squeezing. It makes the Alpha smile and he pats her knee lightly, keeping his hand there. He listens to the speech the dean makes and yawns, handing Annabel another book when she gets done with the first one.

Then the names of the graduates are called. Isaac just listens to them all and reads to his daughter, keeping his voice quiet until he hears the dean get to the M’s. He perks up then and listens, frowning when he hears a name that sound familiar.

"Daniel Mahealani."

It takes Isaac a moment to realize where he’s heard that name before and he stiffens. If Scott went to school with Danny, that means Ethan is probably there, and Isaac growls quietly. He watches Danny walk across the stage, all smiles and dimples, and swallows.

Before he can get too angry, Scott’s name is called. Isaac relaxes and claps his hands along with everyone else; Annabel joins in and shouts Scott’s name when she sees him. The beta turns when he hears it and grins, waving in their direction.

The rest of the the ceremony goes by slowly and as soon as it’s ended, Isaac stands. He grabs the diaper bag and hands Annabel to Melissa when she starts calling for her. Scott is rushing toward them but Isaac isn’t paying attention; he’s looking for Danny but, more importantly, he’s looking for Ethan.

And Isaac spots them in the corner.

"Hey," the Alpha murmurs, leaning in to kiss Scott gently. He moves up to the beta’s ear and whispers against it, “One of the Alphas is here."

Scott goes rigid and frowns, pulling back. “Are you sure?"

"Yes, he dates that kid, Danny."

"Oh, well… you aren’t going to fight, are you?"

Isaac doesn’t know, honestly. He’s always gotten along with Ethan but knows that werewolves are loyal to their packs, especially when they’re all Alphas and Isaac killed one of them. Still, he thinks it may be a good idea to at least talk to him and see what’s going on.

"Watch Annabel, okay?" Isaac asks, nodding to Melissa, who is swaying with the toddler and pointing to Scott, which makes her giggle. “I’ll be right back." 

The beta murmurs ‘okay’ and goes to stand with his mother while Isaac goes to the corner, his hands curled into fists at his sides. Ethan is standing with Danny, the two of them smiling and holding onto each other, and Isaac calms down when he sees how happy they are.

By the time he gets close enough, Isaac is no longer angry. His hands aren’t clenched into fists and he’s not clenching his jaw anymore; instead, he’s kind of smiling and walking over to the Alpha and his mate easily.

"Ethan," Isaac greets, nodding toward him.

At the mention of his name, Ethan turns and blinks. “Isaac," he replies and then turns to Danny, smiling as he motions to the taller boy. “Danny, this is Isaac — my pack used to run with his on full moons. Isaac, this is my mate, Danny."

"Nice to meet you," Danny says, giving Isaac a smile so wide his dimples are set deep into his cheeks. 

Isaac nods and swallows. “Nice to meet you, too," he says and then turns to Ethan, chewing on his lower lip. “Where’s the rest of your pack?"

"Oh, uh…" Ethan shrugs his shoulders and laughs. “Kali and Ennis ran off after Deucalion was killed. She couldn’t stand to be without her mate, so she took the pups and went somewhere to grieve and mourn," he mumbles.

"Do you… know who killed him?"

The other Alpha purses his lips. “Yeah," he says and he doesn’t sound angry, which makes Isaac raise a brow and ask who he thinks killed their leader. “We all know it was you."

"Oh." Isaac’s stomach twists into knots and he laughs. “So why aren’t you angry with me?"

"Because I’m only interested in keeping my mate happy. Kali, Ennis, and Aiden are all pissed at you but… I don’t care."

Relief washes over Isaac and he shakes both Ethan and Danny’s hands, congratulating them before before walking over to where Scott is standing with Annabel. The toddler is playing with the tassel on Scott’s cap and she grins when she sees Isaac.

The Alpha wraps his arms around his mate and daughter, kissing both of their cheeks. “I think it’s time for us to go home and celebrate," he murmurs.

"We’re still having the pack over at mom’s, right?" Scott asks, raising a brow.

"As long as your mom is okay with it." Isaac looks at Melissa, who nods her head and smiles; she says that a party would be nice, so long as the werewolves don’t ruin anything.

When they leave, Melissa and Scott drive home in Scott’s car while Isaac takes Annabel to the apartment so he can gather everyone. He calls Stiles and invites him to the party, saying that he can bring Jackson, too, if he wants. Though before he hangs up, he asks if Sheriff Stilinski is working and when Stiles says no, Isaac says to bring him over, too.

 

 

**xx**

That night, the pack hangs out at Melissa’s house. Derek arrives late, apologizing profusely, and if anyone notices that he smells too much like Peter, well, they don’t say anything. They’re all too busy partying and hanging out with each other to care…

And Isaac notices that Melissa and John are getting along well. Maybe he shouldn’t be hooking his mother-in-law-to-be up with the father of his ex-mate but… whatever. Isaac thinks they make a cute couple and knows that they’re both lonely after losing their partners.

At the end of the night, Isaac checks his phone and sees that he has a message. It’s from the real estate agent and she congratulates him, saying that the offer for the house was taken and he can come by anytime to finalize the everything.


	23. Chapter 23

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The family moves, Isaac and Scott are finally mated, and there are a few... _surprises_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I sped some of the processes up a little bit and I didn't bother with writing any of the boring paperwork and stuff (I got, erm, criticized [very harshly] for not being 'realistic' and not going through all the steps, one by one, in another fic but honestly that's too much of a hassle so I'm apologizing and letting you all know beforehand). So things like the house buying process definitely take a lot more time than they do in fic land, obviously.
> 
>  
> 
> And just to give you a visual of what I imagine their home to look like, let's say it looks something like [this](http://echoparkcool.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/P1030023.jpg). (I just pulled that off of Google, so it's not my picture, etc, etc.)

All in all, it takes two weeks for everything to be finalized — both for the house and the mating ceremony. Isaac has to pull strings here and there for both of them but it’s worth it in the end, honestly, because everything falls into place perfectly.

On the night of the full moon, one week before Scott and Isaac’s ceremony, the keys to their new house is handed over to them — but they don’t move in for four days.

 

 

**xx**

Finally, moving day comes and Isaac is excited. He’s also a little sad to be moving out of the apartment he shared with Stiles, where they watched Annabel grow up, but he knows that more memories will be made in the new house.

"Who’s driving the truck again?" Derek asks from where he’s kneeling on the ground, putting packaging tape on a box in front of him. He looks up and a bead of sweat rolls down the slope of his nose and Isaac laughs.

"I’m driving the big truck," he answers, swinging the key ring around on his finger, “and you’re driving the truck we borrowed from Chris."

Derek purses his lips together and shrugs. “Okay," he mumbles and goes back to taping the boxes up while the others carry stuff downstairs.

Half of the pack is at the apartment, boxing things up and packing them into the moving truck, while the others are at the house doing some last minute painting. It still feels surreal to Isaac, that this is actually happening, and he helps Scott with one of the heavier boxes.

"I can carry it," the beta mumbles but doesn’t take the box away.

Isaac grins and rolls his eyes as they carry it over to the truck and set it on the edge of the bed. The Alpha climbs up and pushes it toward the back, where a pretty impressive stack of boxes are already waiting, and then jumps down onto the ground.

"Are you okay?" Isaac asks as he looks at Scott, who seems to be kind of pale and who isn’t really moving around much. “You look sick," he mumbles and even as he says it, he knows it’s illogical; werewolves don’t get sick.

Scott blinks and smiles, brightening instantly. “I’m fine, just tired. Annabel kept me up last night, talking about how excited she was about the house," he answers and Isaac listens for a skip in his heartbeat. There is none, so he’s telling the truth.

"Okay." With a smile, Isaac nudges Scott’s shoulder with his own and walks back upstairs with him, taking the boxes Derek and Cora hand over. 

There are only a dozen or so more trips after that and then the apartment is completely empty. There are bits of debris and trash on the ground but Isaac isn’t worried about that at the moment; he’ll come back later and clean up before returning the key to the landlord.

Once everything is gone from the apartment and stowed away in the truck, Isaac climbs in behind the wheel and starts the engine. Scott and Cora climb in beside him, the Alpha’s mate sitting in the middle. 

Derek pulls out of the parking lot in the big Ford F-150 they borrowed from Argent and Isaac follows behind them. He stays close behind, though doesn’t ride his ass, and hangs his left hand out the window, tapping his fingers against the door panel.

"Are you sure we’re going to have enough room in the house?" Cora asks after turning the radio down and Isaac glances over to see her nose wrinkle in disgust. He laughs and she glares at him. "What?”

"I thought you liked that song," he mumbles, quirking a brow as he turns his attention back to the road, stopping behind Derek at a red light.

Cora makes a noise and then mumbles, “When I was little and dad played nothing but classic rock, yes."

"Ah." Isaac nods his head and grins a little before answering her first question. “Yes, we’ll have enough room. We have eight bedrooms but they’re not all going to get used," he says and turns his turn signal on, turning after the light changes from red to green.

"They’re not?"

"No. Scott and I are going to take one room, Annabel will be in another, you’ll be in your own room, as will Laura, but Derek and Peter will be sharing a room," he explains.

A laugh bubbles up from Cora’s throat and she says, “That’s right, I forgot about them being mated."

"Isn’t that weird, though?" Scott asks, his voice quiet as he stares out the windshield. “I mean, the whole point of being mated is to have children and keep the bloodline going but… they can’t."

Isaac chews on his lower lip and shrugs. “It doesn’t bother me and there are more people out there who are mated to someone in their family than you think. As for having children… they just find a way around that; most families adopt or go through surrogacy," he mumbles.

"Still kind of weird," the beta whispers.

"Wait until you see them together. Then it won’t be weird." Isaac brings his hand in from outside and grips the wheel with it before dropping the other onto Scott’s thigh. “Just don’t think of them as… uncle and nephew, okay? Think of them as mates."

Cora murmurs in agreement and Scott narrows his eyes at Isaac a little before nodding his head. He smiles, though it’s kind of weak, and Isaac doesn’t think anything about it or the other things he’s noticed.

It takes twenty minutes for them to get to the house and it’s filled with Cora singing to bad pop songs on the radio while Scott and Isaac cringe with every terrible lyric. When they get to the house, Isaac is thankful and parks quickly before turning the engine off, causing the radio to go silent.

"Hey!" Cora shouts, pouting. “I was listening to that."

"Brat," Isaac mumbles and pokes her arm lightly. “You can keep listening to it while we take everything inside, how’s that?"

That seems to be a good deal because Cora smiles and turns the key back so just the radio comes back on. She starts singing when Scott and Isaac scramble out of the truck, though once Boyd steps out of the house in a paint-stained tank top, she stops.

"Oh god," Scott groans playfully, smirking as he watches Cora get out of the truck and run over to Boyd. They embrace and kiss each other quickly before coming over to the truck to help carry things inside.

A lot of their furniture is already inside, so all they have to carry is boxes and a few pieces here and there, mostly tables and one chair. It takes a long time for them to get everything inside and situated but, as soon as they do, everyone takes a box and starts putting things away.

Isaac and Scott work on their bedroom while the pack scatters, attending to different parts of the house. When they’re alone in the room, the Alpha looks at his mate and frowns, noticing that Scott is leaning against the dresser, looking exhausted.

"Hey," Isaac whispers and wraps his arms around Scott from behind, kissing the side of his neck. “Are you alright?"

"Hmm? Oh," Scott laughs and nods, turning to kiss Isaac’s lips quickly, humming against them. “I’m fine, just tired like I said earlier."

There’s no skip in the beta’s heartbeat, again, but Isaac quirks a brow, running his hand along Scott’s stomach slowly. He doesn’t think much about it, honestly, because he’s too hyped up on the excitement of a new house…

But later, when he finds out what’s going on, he’ll want to kick himself for not seeing it.

After several hours of unpacking and organizing, the house is almost complete. They still have to do a few things but it’s getting late, so Isaac tells the pack that they can stop for the night. They order pizza and sit around the living room, talking and eating.

Erica promises she’ll come back and finish the painting in Annabel’s room and then Scott pipes up, saying he can paint a mural on her wall if that’s something they think she’d like. Isaac says that she would love that and kisses the beta’s cheeks when he blushes.

It’s dark when everyone leaves and Isaac stands on the porch with his hands in his pockets, watching Boyd climb into the moving truck. He nods his head toward the beta and watches him leave with a smile. Once the last of them are gone, the Alpha moves back into the house and sighs, looking around for a moment.

"Isaac?" Derek’s voice brings the Alpha out of his thoughts and he looks over at his brother, smiling even more. “Can we talk?"

"Sure do you want to do this inside or out?"

Derek chews on his lip and shrugs before saying, “Out, I guess."

The two brothers walk out onto the porch and sit down, both groaning as they do so, and Isaac turns to Derek with a smile. “What’s up?"

"I went to visit Peter yesterday," Derek starts and he licks his lips before continuing, “and one of the nurses said that he should be cleared to come home soon."

"Whoa, really?" Derek nods, smiling. “How soon is ‘soon’?"

The beta shrugs and clasps his hands between his knees. “She said it could be anywhere from a week to two weeks but… if he keeps healing like he has been, it could be closer to one," he answers.

Isaac thinks about it, about having his whole family back in a week, and he smiles brightly. He wants Peter to be there for his mating ceremony but knows that’s probably out of the question, seeing as it’s three days away, but he’ll definitely be there for the wedding. Which is a long, long way off but Isaac can’t stop thinking about it.

"So I wanted to know…" Derek trails off and Isaac can hear him swallow hard, so he nods encouragingly. “Is it going to be weird to have us in the house? Especially since…"

"Oh," Isaac murmurs and shakes his head as he slips an arm around Derek’s shoulders, squeezing them lightly. “No, man, it’s not going to be weird at all. You two are mated, just like me and Scott, so you can do whatever… you know, mated people do and it’ll be fine."

Derek looks like a weight has been lifted from his shoulders and he smiles, his eyes shining from the dim porch light. “Are you sure it’s not going to be awkward with Scott? I know he’s kind of iffy about it," he mutters.

"Scott doesn’t mind. I mean, he thinks it’s kind of weird still, but I told him to just wait and see you two together. Then it’ll be alright and he’ll see that you guys are perfect for each other."

"Thanks, Isaac." With that, Derek throws his arms around Isaac’s neck and hugs him tightly before pulling back. It’s a touching brother moment.. up until Derek decides to give Isaac a noogie — which causes his curls to tangle — and he shoves the beta playfully.

Laura comes to the door and leans against the frame, her lips turned up into a fond smile. “Now, now, boys — you both have mates and should not be touching each other that way," she teases with a wink.

"Oh, fuck you." Derek laughs and gets up, charging toward Laura. She squeaks and runs back into the house, laughing loudly. Isaac watches until they’re both gone and then stands, making his way back inside.

Just when he walks through the door, Derek pounces on Laura and takes her onto the floor, his hands moving along her sides. It was something they always did when they were little and Isaac smiles, his heart pounding against his sternum so hard he thinks it might burst at any moment.

"What the hell’s going on down here?" Cora asks from the top of the stairs and then she laughs, seeing what Derek is doing. “I want to tickle her, too. Hold on," she says and runs down to the lower level before helping her older brother with his assault on Laura.

Isaac watches them for a moment longer and walks away, going up the stairs just as Laura asks him to help her. She laughs in between the words and the Alpha turns, smirking. “Nope. You’re doomed," he says and laughs when she starts to say ‘fuck you’ but her words are cut off by a loud squeal.

Scott is waiting upstairs, already in bed, by the time Isaac gets there and he walks into their room with a sigh, running a hand down his face. He toes out of his shoes and kicks them away, taking his shirt off over his head with one hand.

"Are they tickling Laura?" Scott asks, smirking a little.

"Yeah, Derek and Cora have reverted back to children." As he speaks, Isaac throws his shirt onto the floor and undoes his pants, shimmying out of them on his way to the bed. He steps out of the denim and crawls onto the mattress, kissing Scott’s cheek. “I’m exhausted," he mumbles.

A murmur of agreement comes from Scott and he smiles. “Let’s go to sleep and we can finish unpacking in the morning," he says and Isaac doesn’t object, so the beta reaches over to turn the bedside lamp off.

They settle down and Isaac wraps his arms around Scott, pulling him back so they’re laying back-to-chest. He breathes gently against his mate’s skin and kisses his neck lightly, murmuring soft things against it — like “I love you" and “I’m so happy we finally have a house".

Isaac listens to Scott’s breathing slow down and smiles when he hears the beta snoring lightly. Taking that as his cue, the Alpha presses his face against the crook of Scott’s neck and yawns quietly. 

Within a few minutes, they’re both sleeping peacefully.

 

 

**xx**

The next three days are hectic for everyone — especially Isaac and Scott.

In addition to organizing and getting the house in order, they also have to get things set up for their mating ceremony. Which is going to be done at their house and it was a last minute decision that nearly ruined things but Isaac offered to set everything up by himself.

And while Isaac does that, Scott deals with a secret that will change it all.

 

 

**xx**

Before they know it, the day of the mating ceremony is upon them. 

The morning of the ceremony is hectic. Cora is in charge of keeping Scott away from Isaac and Derek’s in charge of keeping an eye on the Alpha but he breaks away, wanting to see Scott. He can tell his mate is sick, that something is going on, but Derek manages to get him back to his room.

"Why won’t you let me see him?" Isaac asks, frowning as he watches Derek take the crisp, white button down shirt out of the closet. He’s supposed to wear it and a pair of slacks, nothing fancy but nothing too casual because it is, after all, an important ceremony.

"Laura told me it was a bad idea," is Derek’s answer and he shrugs before going to grab the pants Allison ironed for Isaac. He sets them down on the bed, along with the shirt, and sighs as he stands back. “I think it’s the same thing with weddings: it’s bad luck to spend time with your betrothed before the ceremony."

Isaac snorts and stands, taking his clothes off. He strips down to his boxers and starts to pull the slacks on carefully, leaving them undone as he grabs the shirt. “That’s bullshit, you know," he mumbles.

"Hey, tell that to Laura."

"I’m going to, as soon as I see her." Isaac shrugs into the shirt and starts buttoning it, tucking the tail into his slacks before doing them up. “How do I look? Like a nerd, huh?"

The beta shakes his head and smiles. “No, you look… good," he answers and comes over to straighten Isaac’s collar. “Hopefully you’ll be doing the same for me soon."

"Yep, I’m going to be helping you get dressed before you get mated to Peter and I’ll cry about it."

"Shut the fuck up," Derek mumbles and pokes Isaac’s neck, grinning at him.

Isaac laughs and pulls away, unbuttoning the sleeves of his shirt before rolling the fabric up until it’s around his elbows. “I’m serious. You’re going to finally be mated to the person you had to sneak around with and you can be free to do whatever you want," he mumbles.

"Yeah… but this isn’t about us, okay? It’s about you and Scott."

"Do you think Laura will cry?"

Derek purses his lips and nods, laughing. “I think she and Cora both will cry when they see you up on the stage, getting mated," he answers.

"Awesome. Melissa’s going to cry, you know that," Isaac mutters and goes over to the mirror, running his fingers through his hair quickly. He pushes a stray curl off his forehead and blows out a long breath. “Give me the countdown."

"You are…" Derek trails off and takes his phone out of his pocket, humming as he unlocks it. “Fifteen minutes out," he says.

When he hears that, Isaac’s heart jumps in his chest and he stares at his reflection in the mirror. Fifteen minutes. In less than half an hour, they will be mated - officially - and it’s just now sinking in that this is forever.

"Holy shit."

"What?"

"I just…" Isaac swallows and lifts a shoulder, laughing nervously. “I can’t believe it’s actually here, you know?"

Derek nods and smiles as he comes up behind Isaac, clapping his hands on his shoulders. The beta is a few inches shorter than his Alpha but neither of them are thinking about that right now; this is a good brotherly moment, one Isaac was certain he would never get.

When Laura comes by and knocks, the brothers step away from each other and Isaac tells her to come in. He whistles when he sees her wearing a dark purple dress that’s strapless and way too short but she’s an adult, so she can do whatever she wants.

"You look good," she says and smiles, flicking her gaze from Isaac to Derek, grinning. “Both of you."

"Thanks," Derek grumbles and makes a face at her before turning to hug Isaac tightly. “I’ll see you out there."

Isaac nods numbly and watches Derek go out of the room, his own heartbeat thundering in his ears. Laura shuts the door behind their brother and leans against it, her hands wrapped around the knob.

"Are you ready?" she asks.

"I’m as ready as I’m going to be."

A smile stretches across her face and she comes closer, wrapping her arms around Isaac’s middle. “This is the day you’ve been waiting for," she murmurs as she pulls back, standing up on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek. “So be happy."

"I am happy," Isaac groans, protesting. He looks at her when she pulls back and smiles; she’s wearing eyeliner that makes her green eyes pop even more and her hair is curly with some of it pulled back and clipped at the top of her head. “Okay, let’s get the show on the road."

Laura laughs and slips her hand into Isaac’s, her heels clicking against the floor as she takes him over to the door, leading him out of it. He can smell Scott down the hall and whines, wanting to comfort his mate one last time before they do this but he can’t. Laura would probably smack him if he even tried to walk away from her.

They go down the stairs and Isaac can hear people outside, swallowing thickly when he remembers that their friends and family are there. He can smell someone familiar, can hear a familiar laugh, and spots Ethan standing in the backdoor with Danny.

Without thinking, Isaac snarls — but Laura smacks his hand. “Be good," she hisses and tugs him outside, where the ceremony will take place.

Deaton is already standing on the small stage they put in the backyard and there’s a table in front of him. On it are a few things: a leather bound book, two collars, and a bowl full of things that make Isaac’s nose wrinkle as he gets closer.

"Isaac," the vet says with a smile. He’s dressed in the same kind of outfit as Isaac and Scott, but there’s a necklace around his neck. Isaac recognizes it from when they were children and finds himself staring for a moment.

Laura nudges him and says, “Get in place, idiot."

A nervous laugh bubbles up from Isaac’s throat and he steps onto the stage, his hands shaking as he takes his place beside the table. He looks at the chairs, seeing people fill them as they murmur, and Stiles smiles brightly at the Alpha. He’s got Annabel on his hip and she waves her fingers at him, so Isaac does it back.

Once everyone is sitting, Cora and Scott come out of the house. Scott is wearing the same thing as Isaac, though the sleeves are still down and buttoned, and he looks as nervous as the Alpha feels. That’s good, though, that they’re both nervous and Isaac smiles at him when he steps onto the stage.

Deaton clears his throat and begins.

"Today, we bound Isaac Lahey and Scott McCall together — for life. You both understand that this bond is unbreakable and the collaring is for symbolism only, that you don’t have to wear them forever to belong to one another?"

Isaac and Scott say, in unison, “I understand."

With that, Deaton nods his head and combines the things in the bowl before producing a book of matches. He takes one out and starts speaking in a language Isaac isn’t sure of before lighting a match and throwing it into the bowl. A purple flame rises and Deaton continues speaking until it turns a pale blue, then dies away.

The crowd is silent and the werewolves stand still on the stage while Deaton dips his fingers into the bowl. He brings one of the collars up, paints a rune on the leather, and does the same to the other. The words come louder now and they’re confusing but Isaac can remember them being spoken at the ceremonies he went to when he was little.

"Now," Deaton says after speaking and the runes on the leather have glowed blue for a moment before snuffing out. “Scott, take the collar in front of you and place it around Isaac’s neck."

Scott’s hands shake as he picks the collar up and does what he’s told immediately. It takes him a moment to get the collar latched and he makes a small noise when he finally gets it done.

Deaton smiles and looks at Isaac. “Now, Isaac, take your collar and put it around Scott’s neck," he instructs.

The Alpha nods his head and picks the collar up, nearly dropping it from how sweaty his palms are, and slips it around Scott’s neck. He doesn’t have trouble latching it, getting it done within a few seconds, and pulls back once it’s done.

After a few last words from Deaton, along with the same runes being painted on their hands, Isaac and Scott are declared bound for life and the crowd cheers. 

"I love you," Isaac whispers as he cups Scott’s cheek and tilts his head up before leaning down, pressing their mouths together. They kiss slowly for a moment and the beta pulls away, biting his lower lip.

"I love you too." The words come out shaky and Isaac raises a brow, asks what’s going on, and Scott blows out a long breath. He takes the Alpha’s hand and leads him over to the edge of the stage, where they’re standing in front of everyone, and clears his throat.

Everyone goes silent when Scott says, “I have something to tell you."

Isaac’s heart is pounding in his chest as he looks at his mate, squeezing his hand lightly. He can only think of something bad at this point, like Scott not wanting to be with him or something happening, but what the beta says surprises everyone — in a good way.

"Cora already knows what I’m about to say — so this is for everyone else," Scott says and swallows, chuckling as he tightens his grip on Isaac’s hand. “I thought this would be the perfect moment to tell you all that… I’m pregnant."

No one says anything at first, not even Isaac. He’s took shocked to move, so he just stares at Scott with his mouth hanging open a little and once the words have clicked, he hugs him. “Oh my god," Isaac breathes, laughing quietly in Scott’s ear. “Why didn’t you tell me before?"

"Because I wasn’t completely sure until this morning. I had a feeling but... didn't _know_."

"You mean…"

"I didn’t take a test until just a few hours ago," Scott mumbles, looking up at Isaac with soft, brown eyes and a smile. “So you’re going to be a father, congratulations."

Isaac smiles so wide his cheeks hurt and he kisses Scott, over and over, ignoring everyone else until they come up to hug the beta. The Alpha steps back and watches as their family and friends hug Scott and congratulate him.

Stiles is the last to come up and he hugs Scott gently. “Congrats," he says and laughs, placing a hand on his own stomach, where a barely noticeable baby bump is. “We can be miserable together."

"Sounds awesome," Scott says and laughs, putting his hand on top of Stiles’, lacing their fingers together. Isaac watches and his chest swells with something — love, maybe — as he watches his mate and his best friend get along.

Jackson comes up and holds Annabel out to Isaac, who squeals out the word “baby" at the top of her lungs. The Alpha laughs and nods, telling her that she’s going to have another brother or sister.

Soon, though, the commotion dies down and everyone goes inside to celebrate with cake that Laura and Allison baked together. Isaac can’t keep his hands off Scott the entire time and he’s constantly touching his stomach, like he can feel the baby already.

Two hours after the ceremony, Ethan approaches Isaac and leads him of to the side, his voice low when he speaks. “Kali is coming."

"No.." Isaac breathes, shaking his head. “No."

"No," Cora says from the window, her eyes glowing gold, “she’s already here."

Before Isaac can think about it, he’s running out the front door. He can hear someone behind him tell Stiles to keep Scott inside and he growls, hands curled into fists by his sides. By now his claws are out and Isaac can feel them sinking into his palms.

"I hope we’re not interrupting something too important," Kali says, her eyes glowing red as she looks at Isaac, then to the people behind him.

Isaac doesn’t need to turn around to know that his pack - minus Scott - is standing behind him and he crouches, growling at the woman in front of him. “Go away," he says roughly, his fangs extending as he shifts.

"Oh, no, I thought we were invited." There’s a smirk on Kali’s face as she brings her attention back to Isaac, her head cocked. “Oh, right, you only invited one of us," she murmurs.

"Ethan’s no threat to us."

"Are you sure about that?"

When Kali asks that, Isaac looks behind him and sees Ethan standing beside Derek, eyes glowing red, teeth barred. Their eyes meet and the other Alpha nods his head, saying that Isaac can trust him.

"Oh," Isaac says, turning back to look at Kali with a grin, “I’m pretty sure about that. Why else would he be standing among my pack in a fight against yours?"

Kali growls and lunges forward. Ennis follows, along with Aiden, and the bigger pack jumps into action. Isaac grabs Kali by the throat and wrestles her onto the ground, growling loudly in her face. “What do you want?" he asks, his voice rough.

"Revenge," she groans and Isaac laughs.

"That’s right, I did kill your mate…"

That seems to have pissed her off because one minute Isaac’s got her down on the ground and the next Kali is shoving him against a car. The alarm goes off but that doesn’t stop the fighting.

Isaac looks to his side and sees the pack fighting the others, his heart sinking into the pit of his stomach. He can’t lose them, he can’t have them all die at the hands of the Alpha pack, and he growls. The noise tapers off into a groan when Kali sinks her claws into his shoulder and he throws her off, ignoring the blood.

"I killed your fucking mate," Isaac says as he stalks forward, his eyes blazing red, “because I was defending my pack. Your precious Deucalion would have killed Scott and Cora had I not gotten to him first."

"No," Kali says, laughing as she tries to sit up but Isaac grabs her throat again, this time sinking his claws into her flesh. Any other words she might have said turn into a garbled mess and Isaac grins at her.

Behind them, the pack works on taking down the other two. He can hear them growling, panting, and keeps his attention on Kali — who’s trembling in his hold and she looks… well, she looks fragile.

"I would let you go but I know you’ll just come back and I’m not in the mood for this happening again." Isaac squeezes and feels blood trickling down his fingers, wincing when he hears Kali scream. “So I’m going to do you a favor and kill you right now so I don’t have to do it later."

The pain in Isaac’s shoulder is starting to bother him now but he ignores it as he loosens his grip on Kali’s throat, asking if she has any last words. She looks past him, to where the others are, and grins before opening her mouth to say something but Isaac, not wanting to hear it, slits her throat before she gets a word out.

"No!" Ennis cries from behind him and soon he’s on top of Isaac, shoving him against the concrete, his claws scratching the other Alpha’s chest and stomach. Blood goes everywhere and Isaac coughs, his eyes sliding shut as he brings his hands up, pushing at Ennis’.

Ethan comes up behind his former pack member and grabs him by the throat, slamming him face-first against the pavement. “I never did like you," he mumbles and puts a foot between Ennis’ shoulder blades, shoving them down as he moves his free hand up. Ethan’s claws sink into the older Alpha’s temple and he growls, digging them in even more.

After a minute, Ennis goes limp and Ethan backs away. There’s only one more Alpha to go but no one is paying attention to him. Everyone is kneeling around Isaac, saying his name, and he coughs a few times, blood staining his lips.

And he doesn’t know who carries him inside, just knows that they smell like Old Spice and cinnamon, like ashes and fire. That’s all Isaac remembers before passing out from the pain and blood loss.

 

**xx**

Dying, Isaac realizes, would not be such a bad thing at this point. He feels like he’s on fire all over, can feel someone touching him but can’t see their faces, and each touch just adds fuel to the fire. 

Somewhere in the haze of pain, though, he can hear Scott’s voice and he holds onto that, lets it anchor him to the world he’s not ready to leave yet. Above him, someone asks if he’s going to make it; the voice that answers sounds like Deaton.

Isaac’s eyelashes flutter and he gasps, feeling the fire spread throughout his body. Only this time, it’s a thousand times worse and he groans, wondering if this is what Derek and Laura felt like when they burned alive in the house.

Tears spring up in his eyes and roll down his cheeks and Isaac is certain that this is it, that he’s dying, but soon the pain is gone. He slumps against the table and goes limp, his eyes staying shut — but he’s breathing.

And he doesn’t wake up for two days.


	24. Chapter 24

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Isaac wakes up.

Isaac is stuck inside his own mind for two days. The only thing he can dream about — if that’s what you can call it — is what happened to Kali and Ennis, the way their bodies looked after they were killed. How much blood poured from Kali’s throat when Isaac ripped it and how Ennis’ body fell limp, just like that, after Ethan killed him.

On the second day, Isaac awakes with a gasp. He panics for a second, wondering where he is, and then he hears someone saying his name. It sounds far off and distant, like there’s something obstructing the noise, but then it comes again, clearer this time.

"Isaac?" It’s Scott and Isaac’s heart jumps in his chest as he nods. “Oh god, I thought you were dead," the beta says and then suddenly there are hands on his chest, a head resting on it, and Isaac can hear Scott crying.

The light is burning bright above him when Isaac opens his eyes and he has to blink a few times before getting used to it. He looks around the room and notices that they’re in the living room, that he’s laying on the floor, and he groans.

"Hey, don’t try to move."

"I  _have_  to," Isaac mumbles and tries to sit up but the second he’s vertical, his head spins and he sinks back down onto the floor.

Scott laughs and sniffles, running a hand along his chest. “Lay here for a minute, okay? I’m going to get Stiles and Jackson," he says and presses a soft kiss to Isaac’s lips.

That kiss leaves Isaac’s lips tingling and he tips his head back, watching Scott walk out of the living room. He frowns, wanting his mate to stay with him, but knowing that he was getting Jackson and Stiles so they could check on him.

Isaac frowns more as he hesitantly lifts a hand to touch his chest, running his fingers in the same path as Ennis had. He winces at the memory and shakes his head, feeling his bare skin — which is completely healed and smooth.

"He’s awake?" Jackson’s voice fills the room and Isaac looks up, seeing the doctor’s boots in front of him. “Hey, Isaac."

Isaac grunts.

A laugh bubbles up from Jackson’s throat as he kneels beside Isaac, sighing heavily. “You know," he says as he starts moving his fingers all along the Alpha’s torso, “you scared all of us for a while there."

Another grunt, along with an incredulous look.

"Seriously, Isaac, we were afraid you were going to die." There’s no blip in Jackson’s heartbeat and Isaac nods, giving him a small smile. “You seem to be fine but you may feel dizzy if you try to do too much at once, so just try to rest as much as possible."

"Yes sir," Isaac mumbles and grins, grunting again when Jackson pats his chest lightly. “Can someone help me up onto the couch?"

Scott comes forward but Jackson holds him back. “I’ve got him," the doctor says and helps Isaac sit up, then onto the couch.

Once he’s laying on something softer than the floor, Isaac sighs and lays his head on the armrest, humming happily. He can hear Jackson talking to Scott but doesn’t pay attention to what he’s saying. Isaac almost falls back asleep until he feels his mate’s hand slide into his own and he smiles, brushing his thumb along the bump of Scott’s knuckles.

"Do you want me to get you anything?" Isaac shakes his head. “Okay, I’m going to walk Stiles and Jackson out now, I’ll be right back," Scott whispers and leans over, pressing his lips to Isaac’s forehead.

The Alpha mumbles something and nods, listening to Scott’s footsteps fade away. Then the house is quiet and Isaac wonders where everyone is, if they’ve been gone since he passed out and — what day is it, anyway?

Groaning, Isaac moves his hands down and rummages through the pockets of his slacks, pulling his phone out of one of them. He sees that two days have gone by and he sighs, laying the device on his chest before running a hand along his face.

The sound of little feet hitting the ground makes Isaac’s ears perk up and he turns his head, opening his eyes slightly. A little girl with golden brown curls steps into his field of vision and she creeps closer, looking like she’s worried.

"Come here, Anna," Isaac says, smiling as he opens his arms as much as he can. She looks up and grins, coming over before climbing onto her father’s lap. “I missed you."

"Miss you too, daddy," Annabel whispers as she fits her body against his, her head resting just above Isaac’s heart. “Not sick anymore?"

Isaac laughs and shakes his head, moving a hand up so he can play with his daughter’s hair a little. “No, baby, I’m not sick anymore," he answers and smiles when she leans up to kiss his cheek. 

"Anna? Where are you?" Scott calls out.

"Wif daddy!"

The beta comes into the room and sighs. “I told you to leave daddy alone, honey," he says and kneels beside the couch, running a hand through her hair slowly. “He’s sick, remember?"

"Nu-uh," Annabel says, her amber eyes wide and trained on Scott. " _All_  better."

"She’s not bothering me, Scott," Isaac whispers and smiles at his mate, carefully lifting the other hand to touch the side of his face. 

Scott sighs and tilts his head into the touch, eyes sliding shut. “She didn’t want to leave your side while you were healing and screamed whenever we took her away," he mumbles.

That makes Isaac’s stomach twist into knots and he sighs, leaning his head against Annabel’s. She nuzzles him a little and curls up on his chest, her arms wrapped around his neck. It’s a quiet, peaceful moment but the Alpha knows that he has to ask about Aiden. 

"So are the Alphas… all dead?" Isaac asks carefully.

"Most of them. Ethan said he couldn’t kill Aiden and wouldn’t let anyone else kill him, either, so he took him off somewhere." 

Isaac purses his lips and then mumbles, “And Kali’s pups?"

"I don’t know about that. Danny said they talked about adopting them but he wants pups of his own, so he isn’t sure," Scott whispers.

"As long as Aiden doesn’t come back and try something, I’m not going to worry about any of them." Except that isn’t true; Isaac’s worried about the pups Kali had and any Ennis might have had. He took their parents away and that makes his stomach twist again, this time with regret.

Scott laughs and shrugs. “I don’t think Aiden is going to come back and try something, not when our pack is a lot stronger than him," he says and then stands, causing Isaac’s hand to drop away from his cheek. “I guess I can tell everyone to come back…"

"Where are they?"

"They couldn’t stand watching you possibly die, so they went to spend some time with their mates. Mom pulled some strings at the center where Peter is and got them to allow Derek to stay the night."

That makes Isaac smile and he nods his head. “Any news on when he’s coming home?" 

"In a few days, as long as he passes his physical exam." 

"Mm." Isaac hums and holds Annabel close, kissing the top of her head lightly. “I’m kind of hungry," he mumbles.

"I can make dinner once I know the others are on their way," Scott says and leans down to kiss Isaac’s temple, then Annabel’s head. “I’ll be right back."

Once the beta is gone, Isaac lets his head fall against the back of the couch and he runs a had along Annabel’s back slowly. She’s not asleep, not yet, but she stays curled up against the Alpha’s chest. It’s nice to cuddle with her, to have the house quiet for once, and Isaac can feel himself slipping back into unconsciousness and doesn’t fight it.

An hour later, Isaac wakes up when his daughter squeals at the top of her lungs and groans, letting go of her. He can hear her feet stomping against the floor as she runs, crying Derek’s name out before squealing again.

"I thought you said he was awake," Cora says as she stops beside the couch and Isaac pokes her leg, grinning. “Asshole."

"Hey, that’s rude." Pouting, Isaac pushes himself up into a sitting position and sighs, running a hand through his hair. He looks around the room, sees Derek, Laura, Annabel, Boyd, Cora, and Scott standing all around and smiles at them. “I’m okay," he says quietly.

"All better," Annabel confirms and nods, giggling when Derek tickles her.

Boyd comes over and leans against the back of the couch, his forearms folded on top of it, a smile on his face. “Good, you can come back to work. Erica’s been driving everyone insane," he mumbles.

"Well, she’s going to have to drive you crazy for a little while longer because I don’t think I’m going to go back to work for a few days," Isaac grumbles and yawns, running a hand along his stomach. He can smell food cooking and he growls quietly, looking at Scott with puppy dog eyes.

"Right, you’re starving." Scott laughs and moves into the kitchen. He comes back a few minutes later with a plate and sets it on the coffee table for Isaac. “I made something simple," he says and shrugs. “Chicken and mashed potatoes."

Isaac’s stomach growls and he nods, grabbing the plate. “That sounds good to me and it  _smells_  good," he breathes and picks up the fork Scott laid down next to the plate before digging in.

The others disappear to get their own food and by the time everyone is sitting around the living room, Isaac has demolished everything on his plate. He blushes and sets the empty plate on the coffee table, sitting back against the couch with a sigh.

"Are you full?" Laura asks and Isaac can hear a grin in her voice.

"Not yet, just making room for more," the Alpha answers, smiling.

Everyone fills Isaac in on what happened while he was out. Derek grabs him a second helping without the Alpha having to ask and they all sit around long after dinner, just talking. Soon the sun sets and Scott puts Annabel to bed, only after Isaac promises to read her five stories the following night.

Once Scott and Annabel are upstairs, Isaac turns to Derek. “So," he says and smiles, “I hear Peter is getting out soon."

"Huh? Oh, yeah, in three days — but that’s only if he passes this exam they’re going to put him through," Derek mumbles and shrugs. “I don’t see why they’re doing that; half the nurses already  _know_  that he’s back to physical health."

It takes everyone a moment to realize what that means and Cora makes a face before slapping her hands over her ears. “I did  _not_  want to know that, Derek!" she shouts.

"Well, I’m sorry but I have to hear about you and  _your mate_." 

"Whoa, no, don’t talk about Cora and Boyd doing things in front of me," Isaac mutters and wrinkles his nose. He knows that Boyd is a good guy but, still, that’s his little sister and he doesn’t want to think about her that way.

Boyd gives a sheepish grin and mutters, “Sorry."

"It’s alright." Isaac smiles back and stretches, wincing a little. “Remind me  _never_  to pick a battle with another Alpha ever again," he grumbles.

"Done," Laura says and laughs. 

They talk for a little while longer and Scott eventually joins them again, taking his place on the couch beside Isaac. He slides their hands together, lacing his fingers with the Alpha’s, and lays his head against Isaac’s.

Eventually Boyd leaves and after kissing Cora for what feels like forever, the beta goes upstairs to go to sleep. Isaac watches her, knowing that soon she’ll be mated and living with Boyd, which makes his chest tighten just a little. 

Isaac knows that soon, his house will be empty. That it will just be him, Scott, Annabel, and their future children but he also knows that the pack isn’t going anywhere. 

"I’m going to sleep, too," Laura announces and yawns loudly as she stretches, smiling at Isaac as she comes over to kiss his cheek. “Derek and I are going job hunting tomorrow."

"Oh, that sounds awesome." Isaac grins and hugs his big sister before letting her go, watching her disappear upstairs. He turns to Derek then and frowns before saying, “I could give you a job at the garage."

Derek shakes his head and smiles. “Thanks but… I don’t want to work at the garage," he mumbles and laughs when Isaac says ‘well fuck you too’ under his breath. “I don’t mean that I don’t want to work with you, I just… don’t want to work at the garage. I was thinking of seeing if I can get a job working with computers."

"That sounds like it would suit you better."

"It would and I thought, maybe when Peter gets well enough and he can work again, I could go back to school. Laura’s thinking of going, too, so she can become a nurse."

Hearing about his siblings’ plans makes Isaac smile and he nods, tells Derek that it sounds like an awesome idea. He hugs his brother before the beta goes upstairs and then it’s just Isaac and Scott on the couch, their heads laying together.

"We should get you to bed," Scott mumbles and pulls away, looking at Isaac with a smile. “You need to rest."

"What if I don’t  _want_  to rest?"

Scott laughs and pecks Isaac’s lips lightly. “You have to, anyway," he says and stands, holding his hands out to the Alpha.

It’s hard to stand and Isaac’s limbs are stiff from not moving much. He takes a few minutes to just stand there, moving his limbs a little, and holds onto Scott as they make their way up the stairs.

The hallway is quiet but Isaac can hear the others in their rooms. Derek is tapping away at the screen of his phone; Laura is humming softly to herself; and Cora’s already asleep… or pretending to be, Isaac doesn’t know. 

When they get to their bedroom, Scott makes Isaac stand in the middle and he goes to grab a pair of clean clothes. The slacks he’s wearing are stained with dried blood and Isaac knows that he’ll have to throw them away, which isn’t a big loss.

"Okay, come on, let’s get you out of these." Scott has a pair of sweats thrown over one shoulder and a t-shirt over the other. He smiles at Isaac and undoes his pants, pushing them down along with the Alpha’s boxers.

Isaac steps out of the clothes and lets Scott help him into the pair of sweats, though he knows he’s capable of doing it himself. He doesn’t want to be dependent on anyone, though, so he takes the shirt from his mate and tugs it over his head, groaning.

"Should have let me help," the beta murmurs and Isaac growls playfully.

Soon they’re both dressed and underneath the sheets. Isaac lets Scott hold him from behind and shivers a little when his mate nuzzles his neck, letting his eyes flutter shut as a sigh escapes. 

"I love you," Isaac whispers after a few minutes.

"I love you too," Scott replies and smiles, kissing Isaac’s cheek. “And I’m glad you’re okay. I never left your side, not unless I had to."

That makes Isaac’s heart thump and he turns over, pressing his lips to Scott’s, kissing him slowly. He moves a hand between them and rubs his palm along the beta’s stomach, feeling the same thing he always has: abs.

Isaac knows that, sooner or later, Scott’s stomach will grow and he can’t wait until that happens. He can’t wait to touch the baby bump and feel their pup moving around, the thought sending a shiver down his spine.

"I’m sorry for what happened," he mumbles as he pulls back, resting his forehead against Scott’s, sighing.

"Why are you sorry? You didn’t  _know_  that Kali was going to come looking for revenge." Scott’s voice is soft when he speaks and Isaac smiles, brushing their noses together.

"You’re right, I didn’t know but… I’m still sorry. Had I not killed her mate, she wouldn’t have come after us, and I wouldn’t have had to kill her."

Scott laughs and kisses Isaac gently. “You did what you had to do to protect your pack. We understand and I’m fine with it," he whispers and kisses the Alpha one more time. “Just make sure nothing like that happens on our wedding day, alright?"

A laugh escapes Isaac’s throat as he nods, dropping his head down to press his face against the crook of Scott’s neck. “Okay," he breathes and nuzzles his mate a little, sighing contently.

In just a matter of moments, Isaac is out like a light, clinging to Scott as a nightmare takes over and he’s reliving killing Kali and Deucalion all over again.


	25. Chapter 25

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Isaac feels some side effects from his fight and Peter finally comes home.

There’s a sick feeling in the pit of Isaac’s stomach when he wakes up the next morning and he rolls onto his back, eyes blinking open. He stares at the ceiling and breathes hard for a moment, having just woken up from a nightmare, and he runs a shaky, sweaty hand through his hair. 

Scott isn’t there; Isaac can’t feel his weight on the other side of the bed, can’t hear his heartbeat, and he panics for a moment. The smell of his mate lingers in the room, though, and it’s just barely enough to calm Isaac down so he doesn’t have a panic attack. He hasn’t had one in six years, not since the fire, and isn’t planning on having another any time soon.

Once he’s almost completely calmed down, Isaac pushes the blankets off his legs and swings them over the edge of the mattress. He sits up slowly, his entire body sore and trembling, and he feels like he’s going to throw up. The feeling intensifies and Isaac just barely gets to his feet, just makes it to the en suite bathroom before vomiting in the bathtub. He falls onto his knees and looks at the porcelain, making a face when he sees some kind of black-red goo covering it. 

"Isaac?" Laura calls out from the bedroom.

With a groan, Isaac turns the water on and washes the mess down the drain before wiping the back of his hand across his mouth. “In here,” he croaks as he turns, slumping on the floor with his back pressed against the tub.

A moment later, Laura comes into the bathroom and frowns. She doesn’t say anything immediately, just grabs a washcloth and wets it in the sink, sighing as she comes to kneel in front of Isaac. 

"Do you want me to call someone?"

"Jackson," Isaac replies, his voice breaking. "Maybe a - "  _cough_  ” - funeral home because I swear I’m dying.”

Laura purses her lips into a thin, hard line and wipes Isaac’s mouth before going into his bedroom. When she returns, the Alpha’s phone is in her hand and she’s tapping her finger against the screen. Isaac watches her and coughs again, letting his head loll to the side.

And he doesn’t catch what Laura and Jackson say to one another. He doesn’t even feel someone - or, rather, multiple someones - carry him back to the bed, not until his head hits the pillow.

Isaac knows something is going on and honestly thinks that maybe he’s dying or something because he’s never felt like this before. He stays still on the bed, even when Derek moves a hand through his hair, and doesn’t hear his siblings’ conversation.

A half hour later, Jackson comes into the room and Isaac barely manages to open his eyes to look at the other Alpha. His body has gone cold, he’s sweating more, and he feels like his organs are shutting down one by one.

"What happened?" Jackson asks, frowning as he moves to sit on the edge of the bed, moving a hand to Isaac’s face. "Jesus, he’s burning up."

Isaac merely groans in agreement.

Then everyone is moving and speaking at once. They’re talking so fast that Isaac can’t even catch what they’re saying, so he just closes his eyes again and focuses on trying  _not_  to die.

Minutes pass or maybe it’s been hours, days — Isaac doesn’t know. The only thing he does know that it feels like a long time has passed and when someone says his name, he mumbles incoherently.

"I don’t get it," someone is saying and it sounds like Laura. "He was completely fine last night and then he throws up some kind of black goo?"

Another person sighs and says, “Sometimes this happens when two werewolves fight and one of them is an Alpha.”

"Did it happen to Scott?"  _Scott_ , Isaac thinks, _where is he?_  

"No," the second voice answers and, hey, he sounds like Jackson. "We thought it might have so I gave him medicine to help the internal healing process but… I thought Isaac would be fine."

A third person snorts. Derek. “Well, as you can see, he _isn’t_ ,” he mumbles.

"Yeah, I can  _clearly_  see that isn’t the case here.” Jackson sounds snippy and it makes Isaac frown a little. The sick feeling in his stomach has now turned into a pain and he groans, trying to articulate what’s going on but no words come out. 

Everything goes quiet after that. Isaac can’t feel people moving around him, can’t hear their voices, and doesn’t even know if he’s alive or not. It isn’t until he barely feels his chest rise that he realizes, through the fog of pain, that he’s still hanging on.

Above him, Jackson is mixing a cocktail of different drugs and herbs together while Laura and Derek watch. On the bed, Isaac’s body lays limp and nearly lifeless, though his chest does rise slightly and fall with each labored breath.

It’s another minute before Jackson is done mixing his concoction and he grabs a syringe, sucking the mix up into the tube. He pushes the air out and sticks the needle into the side of Isaac’s neck, slowly depressing the plunger until all the purple-blue liquid is gone.

"That should work," Jackson murmurs.

Derek scoffs and nearly shouts, “It  _should_  work?”

"Well, without him being awake to tell me what, exactly, the problem is I had to rely on my gut to tell me what was wrong."

"So if it doesn’t work.." Laura trails off.

Jackson sighs and shakes his head. “I’m fairly certain that it  _will_  work, it’ll just take a little bit of time. Don’t expect him up and about any time soon.”

"When should we expect him up?" Derek asks, sounding more than a little annoyed and upset.

"A few hours should be enough. I added a bit of a sedative in there, so he can sleep while the drugs and herbs take effect," Jackson explains as he puts the needle away and grabs his things. Before leaving, he puts two fingers against Isaac’s pulse and nods, claiming that it feels good.

Once Jackson is gone, Laura climbs onto the bed and cuddles Isaac, running a hand through his damp hair. Derek sits on the edge of the mattress but before long, both of them are lying on the bed beside their baby brother.

And they’re still there when Isaac wakes up three hours later.

"Scott?" Isaac mumbles and lifts his head, moaning groggily.

Derek wakes up and puts a hand on the Alpha’s cheek. “Scott had some things to do for his mom this morning,” he explains in a quiet voice.

"D’rek?"

"Yeah, Is, I’m right here."

The Alpha opens his eyes and blinks a few times to clear his vision, then stares at the beta laying in front of him. “What happened?”

"You were sick." Derek shrugs and, upon seeing the confused look on Isaac’s face, laughs. "The cuts you got from Ennis weren’t healed on the inside and your body was reacting to them," he says.

"Oh." Isaac wrinkles his nose and turns his head slowly, looking at the person laying behind him. Laura is curled up with her forearms and knees touching his back, her head pressed between his shoulder blades, and it makes Isaac smile.

The three of them lay together for a while before Derek wakes Laura up, telling her that they need to go. Neither of them want to leave Isaac but he promises that he’ll be fine and after Derek carries nonperishable food items up to the bedroom, along with water, the Alpha tells them to go.

Once everyone is gone, Isaac goes back to sleep. He doesn’t think he’s ever been this exhausted in his entire life and he falls asleep easily with his cheek pressed against the pillow and his limbs stretched across the mattress.

It’s three o’clock when he wakes up again and Isaac rolls over onto his back, yawning loudly before groaning. He runs a hand over his forehead, expecting to feel sweat against it, but his skin is dry. That’s a good thing, he guesses, and he drops his hand onto the bed as he listens carefully to the sounds in the house.

Cora is home and listening to music in her room. Isaac can hear it, just faintly, and smiles a little as he focuses on different noises. There are two voices downstairs and the Alpha has to strain a little to figure out who it is and he grins upon realizing that it’s Allison and Laura.

After taking a few more minutes to relax and gather himself, Isaac swings his legs over the edge of the bed and sits there for another moment. He stands only when he’s sure he won’t collapse and moves toward the door slowly, opening it with a shaky hand. The feeling of death that Isaac had been experiencing earlier is gone and he’s thankful for that as he makes his way downstairs.

Laura and Allison look up from their spot on the couch, both of them frowning as Isaac steps off the bottom stair.

"Do you need help?" Laura asks, worry present in her voice.

"I’m fine," Isaac rasps and moves into the living room, taking a seat in one of the chairs since the couch is mostly occupied by his sister and her mate’s bodies. "Where’s Derek?"

"Where is almost every day?" 

That was a stupid question, Isaac realizes, and he snorts. “I should have known,” he mutters and nods his head slowly, rubbing his hands along his thighs slowly. “It’s nice to see you, Allison.”

"You too," Allison replies, smiling so wide her dimples pop up on her cheeks, "and I’m sorry you weren’t feeling well."

Isaac shrugs and laughs quietly. “It’s not your fault,” he breathes.

A comfortable silence falls over them and Isaac lets his head fall back against the top of the chair, his eyes fluttering shut. He moves his arms up onto the armrests and wraps his hands around the ends, drawing in deep, slow breaths like he’s about to fall asleep again.

"Scott should be home soon. I think he has some news, too," Laura says in a quiet voice and Isaac nods his head, smiling. "I swear he’s not, like, doubly pregnant."

"That would be strange." Isaac wrinkles his nose a little and laughs quietly, letting his head fall to the side, eyes opening slowly. "How was job hunting?"

Laura shrugs her shoulders and bites her lip. “I applied to as many places as I could and even talked to the manager at one place for a long time,” she answers and chuckles.

"Where is it?"

"A bar on Sunset Ave." 

"Isn’t that the one with the drinks named and created after video games and books and other stuff like that?" Allison asks, turning her attention to Laura, who nods.

Isaac snorts and mumbles, “That’ll be a perfect job for you.”

"Yeah, I guess so. The manager seemed to like me but said he had to talk to the owner about it. They’ll call me after that," Laura goes on, slipping her hand into Allison’s. "And it’s called ‘Another Castle’."

"That’s fucking nerdy," Isaac murmurs and laughs, "but it’s also kind of awesome. I hope you get the job so I can come in and get free drinks."

Laura snorts and says, “Yeah, right. You’re going to have two pups to take care of in just a couple of months. Do you  _really think_  you’re going to have time to come into a bar?”

The Alpha waves a hand dismissively and curls up in the chair, turning so his knees are pressed against the armrest. Laura continues to talk about the bar, telling Allison and Isaac about some of the drink names and how the place is decorated, and the Alpha falls asleep again.

God, why is he so tired lately?

The rest of the afternoon goes by slow and Isaac moves from the chair to the couch when Laura and Allison leave. That’s where Scott finds him that evening, curled up underneath a Dora blanket, snoring away.

"Isaac," Scott says, shaking him a little. 

Another shake is given and Isaac rolls over, grumbling. “What d’ya want, m’trynna sleep,” he mumbles and Scott laughs.

"Have you been sleeping all day?"

"More or less."

"Mm, well, I guess you have an excuse." Scott frowns and sits on the edge of the coffee table, his hand slipping into Isaac’s. "How are you feeling? Derek called me and said you weren’t feeling well."

Isaac hums and laces their fingers together. “I felt like death this morning and now I feel slightly less like death,” he mumbles and cracks a grin, looking at Scott — who looks unimpressed. “I feel okay, don’t worry.”

"Well, worrying is in my job description."

"Uh-huh…" Isaac yawns loudly and folds the blanket in half so it’s covering him from the waist down. "Laura told me you have news," he murmurs.

Scott bites his lip and nods slowly. “I got a job. It’s temporary, until I can find something in my chosen career field but… at least I won’t be useless around here anymore,” he says, shrugging.

"You aren’t  _useless_.” 

"When it comes to money, yeah, I kind of am."

The Alpha rolls his eyes but doesn’t push it, just asks, “Where’d you get a job at?”

"A bakery in town. They were looking for a baking assistant and I talked to the woman. She’s going to give me a shot and if I’m good enough, I’ll have a full-time job." Scott pauses and puts his hand on his stomach, laughing before he says, "At least until this little guy - or girl - comes out or I find a photography job."

"That’s awesome," Isaac replies and sits up, leaning over to kiss Scott before settling back against the couch, sighing happily. "You’re going to come home smelling like dessert all the time."

Scott chuckles and nods. “You’ll never take your hands off me.”

"Probably not." Grinning, Isaac brushes his thumb along Scott’s and listens to the Camaro pull up out front, telling him that Derek is back. 

"I told Derek to stop and get something for dinner." Isaac nods his head at Scott’s words and tips his head back against the armrest so he can watch Derek come through the door. He’s not wearing his jacket like he normally does and his hair is mussed, which makes Isaac smirk.

Scott sets everything up on the coffee table and Derek goes to get Cora, sending her downstairs. He stays up in his room, doing something that Isaac isn’t sure about, but when he comes back down, his hair is brushed and he smells like Old Spice.

Why Derek feels the need to cover up Peter’s smell, Isaac has no idea, but he isn’t about to tell him to stop. Not if it makes him feel more comfortable around the family.

They all eat and everyone else talks besides Isaac. He stays quiet, eating a little bit because his stomach is still feeling funny, and he cuddles Scott after dinner.

"Hey," Derek says once he and Cora have put the dishes away. "Do you think you’ll be up for helping me get my room together completely?"

Isaac looks up and blinks. “Yeah, sure,” he says and smiles at his brother, humming when Derek squeezes his shoulder.

Soon it’s just the three men. Cora says she’s going to Skype with Boyd and Isaac rolls his eyes playfully, telling her to let Boyd know that he said hello. She promises and kisses his cheek before bounding up the stairs, happiness rolling off her in waves.

"I think she and Boyd are more in love than anyone else," Scott mumbles and snuggles back against Isaac, his hands resting on the Alpha’s forearms. "Except for us, maybe."

Derek snorts and shakes his head. “You two are disgustingly cute and in love and it makes me want to throw up,” he says, grinning.

"You and Peter used to be this way, too," Isaac points out, letting his head fall forward to rest against the back of Scott’s.

"And we’ll be that way when he comes home." Derek beams when he says that and Scott laughs, acting a hell of a lot more comfortable about the whole thing than he was before. 

They talk about work and Derek tells Isaac he applied to all of the computer based jobs he could. He even applied to be a librarian, just for the hell of it, but Isaac can tell that he’ll be excited if he gets that job.

When the sun sets and the house gets quiet, everyone goes to bed. Isaac, despite the number of naps he’s taken, falls asleep almost as soon as his head hits the pillow. He holds onto Scott and no nightmares come that night — no dreams do.

 

**xx**

 

For the next two days, Isaac rests as much as possible. He starts getting restless, though, so he does little things around the house until he feels tired again and then he just lays down on the nearest flat, semi comfortable surface he can find. 

A lot of the work he does involves helping Derek get things ready for Peter’s homecoming. He washes the new clothes they bought for him, puts them in the dresser, and helps Derek with a few other things.

Finally, the day Derek and Isaac and, well, everyone else has been waiting for comes.

**xx**

The call comes around noon. Isaac is watching Monsters Inc (because it was on and he actually likes that movie) when his phone rings on the coffee table, buzzing against the hardwood. He mutes the television and grabs the device, tapping the answer button before bringing it up to his ear.

"Hello?"

"Mr. Lahey?" A voice replies and, after Isaac confirms that’s who he is, the woman on the other line brightens. "I hope I’m not disturbing you but I’m calling you to let you know about your uncle’s progress."

Isaac sits up a little and says, “Okay, I’m all ears.”

"Well, as I’m sure you’re already aware, we gave him a physical examination this morning to see if he was well enough to go home. It’s just a standard exam to see if he can do things for himself, if he has most or all of his strength back, and to see if he might require further rehabilitation."

"And…"

The woman laughs and continues, “I’m happy to say that Peter did amazingly well. He’s still having some difficulty walking long distances without someone supporting him and his strength isn’t one hundred percent but the doctors have cleared him to leave.”

"Oh, that’s good." Isaac chuckles and licks his lips. "Can we come get him today?"

"Yes, if that’s your plan. I do ask, however, that you bring clothes from home and that you be prepared to fill out release forms." She pauses for a moment before saying, "I assume you’re going to be his caretaker?"

Isaac’s off the couch as soon as she says ‘yes’ and he pauses. “Um,” he says and nods, though she can’t see it. “My pack and I are going to take care of him.”

"And that includes a mate?"

"Yeah, Derek Hale."

There’s a pause and then she says, “Are they married or related?”

"Related?" Isaac answers, forming it like a question and drawing the word out for a moment. The bubbly woman on the other line hums and Isaac expects her to make a comment but when she speaks, she sounds just as perky as ever.

"I completely understand how that goes," she say and laughs again. "So, Mr. Lahey — "

"Isaac," the Alpha interrupts.

"Mmm, sorry about that." Another laugh. "When shall we expect you, Isaac?"

"We’ll be there in an hour."

The woman on the other line hums in agreement and says she’ll have Peter cleaned up and ready to go then. Before she hangs up, she tells him to drive carefully and have a great day.

When the line clicks off, Isaac shoves his phone into the pocket of his pajama pants and goes upstairs, where Derek has been all morning. He knocks on the door and opens it just enough to stick his head in, grinning.

"Come on," he says and pats the door frame. "We’re going to get Peter."

Derek looks up from the book he was reading and smiles. “Okay, let me get ready and I’ll meet you downstairs,” he says and Isaac nods, letting him know to grab a pair of clothes for Peter before he comes down.

It takes fifteen minutes for them both to get ready and Isaac decides that Derek should drive since he isn’t feeling up to it. So he slides into the passenger seat, buckles himself in, and lets his head fall back as they start driving.

"I’m going to let Scott know we’re going to get him," Isaac murmurs when they’re halfway to the rehab center. He takes his phone out and sends a mass text to the entire pack, letting them know what’s going on.

Derek is surprisingly quiet but he smiles the entire time, happiness and excitement rolling off of him and it makes Isaac’s heart thump. They’re all going to be together and happy with their mates, which makes the Alpha happy.

Soon, they’re pulling up to the center and Derek parks. He looks at Isaac after shutting the engine off and bites his lower lip before mumbling, “I don’t think I’m ready.”

"Oh, come on," Isaac laughs and pats his brother’s shoulder, squeezing it lightly. "You’ve been ready for this since you came back."

"Yeah, that was before when we could be alone in his room and not have our pack - which also happens to be full of our  _family_  - around to hear us.”

Isaac snorts and opens his door. “You’re afraid we’re going to hear you guys having sex and disown you?” Derek nods his head, eyes wide and looking kind of terrified. “Oh my god, no, we’re not going to do that.”

"How do I — "

"Because we’re family," the Alpha cuts in, smiling, "and family doesn’t disown someone because of who they love."

Derek nods and blows out a long breath before getting out. They both walk around the front of the car and Isaac squeezes his brother, hugging him as tightly as he can before letting go. Then they go inside and Isaac goes up to the nurse’s station. 

The woman he meets is the same one he talked to on the phone and he finds out that her name is Casey. She gives him a stack of paperwork, explains everything to him, and tells both Isaac and Derek that Peter is down the hall in his room, waiting.

"Thank you," Isaac says and smiles, following Derek down to Peter’s room, stepping inside after the beta did. 

"Guess what? We’re breaking you out!"

Peter blinks and looks at Derek, smiling. “You’re here to get me and take me home with their permission,” he murmurs.

"Same thing." Shrugging, Derek goes over with the clothes and Isaac falls into a chair so he can fill out the paperwork, chewing on his thumbnail as he listens to Derek and Peter talk.

Ten minutes have passed and Isaac’s finally filling out the last piece of paper, signing his name on a form that says he is responsible for any and all of Peter’s actions and any further medical treatment he may need once he leaves. 

Once they’re all ready, Isaac slings a bag containing Peter’s meager collection of things and leads them out of the room. He stops by the nurse’s station, hands Casey the paperwork, and waits for her to give him a copy of the last form, along with Peter’s medical records.

"It’s been a pleasure working with you, Peter," she says and smiles warmly at him, not even batting an eyelash when she sees Derek’s hand slip into the older wolf’s.

Isaac thanks her once again and they all say goodbye as they make their way down the hallway for what will hopefully be the last time. Derek never lets go of Peter’s hand, not even once, and Isaac offers to sit in the backseat of the Camaro so they don’t have to be separated by a seat.

For the duration of the car ride, Peter talks to them. Derek coaxes him into it, says that it’ll only improve his speech, and Isaac can’t keep himself from grinning as he listens to them. He looks at the hands resting on the console and his heart jumps in his chest. 

No one is home when they get there and Isaac lets Peter and Derek go up to their room, pretending like he doesn’t know what’s going to happen because it’s better that way. More comfortable for all three of them.

While Derek and Peter are upstairs, Isaac turns the television on again and watches more cartoons because he doesn’t have anything better to do. Sometime around four, though, he gets up and goes to make dinner, knowing that everyone will be coming over to see Peter.

Cora comes home first, around five in the evening, and Boyd trails in after her. He’s still wearing his grease-stained tank top but Isaac can see that he put a simple button-down over top of it so he looks decent.

"Uncle Peter!" Cora squeals when Peter and Derek come down the staircase and she waits until the older wolf is at the bottom before hugging him tightly. They pull away and she motions to Boyd before saying, "This is my mate, Vernon Boyd."

Boyd rolls his eyes and comes over, holding a hand out. “Just ‘Boyd’ is fine,” he says, smiling when Peter shakes his hand.

"Nice to meet you, Boyd." Peter drops his hand and hugs Cora again, holding onto her as they make their way into the living room. They sit on the couch, with Peter in the middle being flanked by Cora and Derek, while Boyd sits in one of the chairs.

The next person to come over is Laura and Allison. They crowd into the living room and Peter is the center of everyone’s attention. Finally, around six, Erica, Lydia, and Scott walk into the house.

"Good, everyone’s here," Isaac shouts over top of the noise, grinning as he disappears into the kitchen again, taking dinner out of the oven. He carries it to the dining room and calls for everyone.

Scott and Derek help him with everything else while the others sit at the table, all of them talking at once. It’s probably too much for Peter to handle but, if it is, he isn’t complaining. Actually, he seems to be loving all of the attention.

Dinner goes well and everyone seems to have fallen in love with Peter, who can be very charming without even trying. They all stay as late as they can, though Boyd stays and if Isaac sees him climbing up the stairs and going toward Cora’s room, he doesn’t say anything.

It’s a happy day for all of them and Isaac’s glad to see everyone in such good spirits — especially Derek. He looks happier, more carefree than he had before, and he doesn’t seem to feel awkward or uncomfortable around people after they find out that Peter is not only his mate, but also his uncle.

When everyone leaves and the others go to bed, Peter hangs back to sit in the living room with Isaac. They’re alone and the Alpha can see Derek doesn’t want to leave Peter behind but goes up to their room when his mate says he’ll be up soon.

"Thank you," Peter murmurs once everything is quiet, smiling at Isaac.

Isaac quirks a brow and asks, “Thank you for what?”

"Everything." With that, Peter hugs Isaac and squeezes him lightly before pulling back. "I love you, Isaac," he says and then says goodnight, smiling as he stands.

"I love you too, Peter. Goodnight," the Alpha whispers and watches Peter walk toward the stairs, his gait slow but determined. He waits until he can hear the door to Derek and Peter’s bedroom shut and goes around, turning things off. 

Once everything is done, Isaac goes upstairs and slips underneath the blankets beside Scott, who’s already sleeping. Scott, who also smells like vanilla buttercream and sugar and citrus. He kisses the beta’s cheek lightly and snuggles up to him, an arm wrapped around his waist.

The house is quiet and, for once, feels completely peaceful.


	26. Chapter 26

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Derek and Peter talk about their past and their future.

**[Derek's POV]**

 

Derek remembers  _everything_. 

The searing heat, how the wood crackled underneath the flames, the strong smell of mountain ash and wolfsbane. How his parents cried and held onto their children, young and old, and how all Derek wanted to do was kiss Peter one more time because he knew they were never getting out. 

Derek wishes, more than anything, that he didn’t remember those things and wishes that he could erase them from his memory. The screaming is what gets to him the most and he wakes up sometimes, in the middle of the night, thinking he hears someone screaming for him. How a little voice shrieks out into the night, calling his name, but it’s gone as soon as he wakes up.

Sometimes he wakes up and feels the heat, smells smoke. Those are the times when he thinks the house is on fire again and he nearly has a panic attack in the middle of the night, in the dark, reliving that night all over again.

But when Peter comes home, he makes everything better.

The nightmares start to subside. Derek no longer hears Lily calling his name out, doesn’t see her blonde hair singe underneath the flames, and he doesn’t hear his mother’s pained howls. All he hears is Peter’s steady breathing beside him and his heartbeat, strong and steady, and focuses on that enough to get a good night’s sleep.

Derek thinks that maybe talking about it will help. Isaac wasn’t there, so he doesn’t understand how painful that night was, but the beta doesn’t want to even approach the subject with Peter. So he decides to just wait and see if his mate brings it up first.

And the tenth day after Peter is released, he brings it up.

**xx**

They’re alone in the house and that’s not unusual, not with the others having things to do during the day. Isaac, Scott, and Laura all have jobs to go to while Cora goes to school, then to the garage after to spend time with Boyd. Derek knows that she does this on purpose, to give him and Peter more alone time together, and he’s grateful for it.

Derek is laying on the middle of the bed with his legs crossed and one arm folded behind his head, a book in his hand. He’s been reading the  _A Song of Ice and Fire_  books, as per Scott and Stiles’ request, and he’s nearly done with the first one. Though it’s surprising he’s had enough time to even  _read them_  from how… busy he and Peter have been.

When he reads the last line of the chapter he’d been on, Derek hears the shower turn off and smiles, putting his bookmark back. He sighs and stretches a little, tossing the book to the end of the bed. 

"Do you need help?" he calls out.

A moment later, Peter answers. “No, I’m fine.”

"Are you  _sure_?” Derek asks, frowning. He knows that Peter hasn’t been one hundred percent lately and gets worried that some activities he does - or  _they_ do together - may tire him out too much.

"Seriously, Derek, I’m okay."

Without saying another word, Derek nods his head and watches the door, waiting for the moment Peter walks through it. He knows that the older man will just waltz right in wearing just a towel, which makes his heart jump in his chest.

Five minutes pass and just when Derek is starting to get worried, Peter appears in the doorway. A black towel is tied around his waist and his hair is slicked back against his scalp, drops of water falling down his chest and stomach.

Peter grins, catching Derek staring. “See? I told you I’m fine,” he says and comes over, running the other towel he’s holding along his hair, making it go in a dozen different ways.

"Yes you are." Derek grins and sits up, scooting back so he’s sitting against the headboard. He isn’t expecting Peter to put clothes on and does pout slightly when the older wolf changes into a pair of loose pajama pants. 

Okay, sex isn’t the only thing mates are good for but Derek has gone far, far too long without it. They used to have to sneak around when they were younger, always going far away from the house to have sex. Even with the sneaking around, being together was risky because they would always reek of one another and it was a wonder no one put two and two together.

Well, except for Isaac.

"Doing some light reading?" Peter asks as he picks the book up from the end of the bed and quirks a brow. 

Derek shrugs and brings both arms up, folding them behind his head as he watches Peter flip through the pages. “I wouldn’t call it ‘light’ reading but, yes,” he answers.

"My nurses used to talk about this."

"I’m sure Stiles will let you read it after I’m done."

Shutting the book, Peter makes a face and shakes his head. “I’ll wait to watch the television show,” he murmurs and moves to sit on the bed, laying against Derek’s chest.

"That’s the next thing I’m going to borrow from him. He said if I make it through the first two books, he’ll lend me his DVDs."

"How generous of Stiles. I see that hasn’t changed in six years," Peter observes and Derek nods his head, laughing quietly. "Can we talk?"

Derek blinks and moves his right arm from behind his head before resting it on Peter’s shoulders. “Yeah,” he replies, smiling, “we can.”

It takes a moment for Peter to speak again and Derek’s worried that something is wrong. Maybe he’s not feeling well and wants to go back to the center or something. No, Derek thinks, he would be able to tell if that’s what it was.

Then what does he want to talk ab —

"Do you remember that night?"

Oh, shit. That  _wasn’t_  what Derek was expecting.

"Well?" Peter whispers, turning his head until blue eyes land on Derek’s hazel ones, teeth worrying his lower lip. 

Derek blows out a long breath and brings a hand up, running his fingers through Peter’s hair slowly, nodding. “I remember everything,” he answers and wonders why Peter wants to talk about something so horrible. “Do you?”

"Of  _course_  I remember.” Peter turns away and lays his head on Derek’s shoulder, looping both arms around his waist. “For years, all I could do was relive that night and I kept thinking… it had been  _days_ before the fire since we last kissed. You remember?”

"Yeah, I remember." A laugh escapes before Derek can stop it and he sighs, laying his head back against the headboard as he continues to run his fingers through Peter’s hair. "We drove to the lake in the middle of the night so the kids wouldn’t bug us to take them," he mutters.

Peter laughs and nods his head. “You were curled up against me the whole time, singing along to the music on the radio,” he whispers, his voice cracking a little.

"And when we got to the lake, you shoved me in the water first thing. I growled at you and jumped out, wrestled you to the ground."

"Then you kissed me and it tasted like lake water." 

"Oh, like you complained. Especially when I got my hand down your shorts," Derek points out and laughs when Peter mumbles ‘I liked that’ under his breath. "I know you did."

Peter sighs and turns his head, chin resting on Derek’s shoulder. “I miss those days… and I miss our family,” he murmurs, running a hand along the younger man’s side, fingers skittering along his skin. 

The way Peter says that tugs on Derek’s heartstrings and he clears his throat, letting his head loll to the side. His eyes open and he stares at his mate, running a hand along the nape of his neck. Derek wants to say that he misses them too, that he wishes the fire never happened, but he knows that if he tries to say it, his voice will crack.

So he smiles sadly and nods, leans in to kiss Peter gently. “Me too,” he whispers as he pulls back, letting his head thunk against the headboard.

"I feel so…" Peter trails off and sighs for a moment. " _Empty_. I feel empty without my brother and Talia and your siblings."

Derek’s chest tightens and he nods slowly.

"You know, your mother would be proud of Isaac."

"Everyone would be proud of Isaac," Derek whispers, grinning. His little brother has come a long way, has faced a lot of obstacles, but he’s still going. Maybe having a little chunk of his family is helping.

Peter kisses Derek again and hums. “Let’s talk about the future now, not the past,” he suggests.

"Okay, what do you want to talk about?"

"Children."

When he hears that, Derek blinks a few times. “You know we can ha — “

"I know," Peter interrupts and rolls his eyes. "That doesn’t mean we can’t have fun  _trying_  or talk about the possibility of adoption… or surrogacy.”

"Mmm… how many kids do you want, Peter?"

"Two."

Derek raises a brow and asks, “Just two?”

"Well, two to start out with."

"Okay, two children." Derek smiles and runs his fingertips along the back of Peter’s neck, sliding them into his hair. "Anything else you want to talk about?"

Peter tilts his head back, toward Derek’s hand, and let his eyes slide shut as he purses his lips together. A moment later, his eyelashes flutter and clear blue irises settle on Derek’s face, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

"A mating ceremony."

"You really want one?" What kind of question is that? Of course Peter would want a mating ceremony and so does Derek. He wants it bad.

Instead of answering verbally, Peter kisses Derek. It’s slow and sweet and one hand presses against the side of his neck. This is how it used to be, before the fire, and Derek can remember the first time they kissed.

And decides to ask Peter about it.

"Remember," Derek whispers as he pulls back, keeping their inches a few centimeters apart, "where and when our first kiss happened?"

Peter chuckles and nods his head slowly, licking his lips. “It was the summer of two thousand and two. I was nineteen and you were seventeen,” he whispers, his lips barely moving against Derek’s.

"That’s the when…"

"And the  _where_  was in my bedroom. You came in, climbed onto the bed, and kissed me without any warning. We made out for a full half an hour before you went back to your bedroom.”

Derek laughs quietly, biting down on his lower lip. “You were pawing at my pajama bottoms and that’s the reason I had to go back to my room,” he mumbles.

"Yeah and you jerked off. I could smell you down the hall."

"Everyone could smell me."

"No one else got off on it later, though," Peter points out and grins, pressing kisses to Derek’s lips and then his cheek. "It’s strange, you being  _six_  years younger than me instead of  _two_.”

That makes Derek frown and he nods. “I know but I’m twenty-eight in my heart,” he says and runs his hand along Peter’s spine, tracing small patterns on his bare skin.

"Oh, yes, that’s all that counts." Peter chuckles and shivers, pressing his body against Derek’s with a sigh. "I think another reason why I wasn’t healing was because… I didn’t want to. I was grieving so much and I thought that I should have died, too," he mutters.

"I’m glad you’re not dead, though. If we had come back and you were gone, I probably would have grieved myself to death."

Peter kisses Derek’s neck and murmurs, “I’m so sorry.”

Neither of them say anything after that. Derek holds onto Peter and soon they shift down so they’re laying on the bed, their limbs tangled and their lips moving against one another.

**xx**

Derek remembers  _everything_. 

The nights when he would sneak out to meet Peter somewhere. The number of rushed kisses they shared and how they brushed their hands together whenever they passed in the house. How perfect everything had been the night they lost their virginity and how the stars had looked above Peter. Bright and shining and beautiful — like his mate.

The first time “I love you” went from something family said to each other to something that lovers said to one another. How many weekends Derek drove up to see Peter in college, how no one knew that they were related and they could walk across the campus holding hands.

Derek wonders how things would have been for them if the fire never happened. Obviously the family would have found out about what was going on and Derek thinks about it sometimes, thinks about what his mother would have said. 

And Derek stops dreaming of the fire. He dreams, instead, of things that happened before the fire and what things are going to be like for them in the future. Peter makes everything better and keeps Derek from dwelling on the night they lost everything.


	27. Chapter 27

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Scott and Stiles bond over being pregnant, the sex of both babies is revealed, and names are discussed/chosen.

[five months later]

The past five months have been  _crazy_  for everyone in Isaac’s life and a few life changing events have happened.

Stiles and Jackson had their mating ceremony two months after Scott and Isaac. While he knew that it was going to happen for a long time, the Alpha still had a part of him that wished they could have worked things out between the two of them. Jackson is a good guy, though, and Isaac couldn’t be happier for him and Stiles.

After three months of knowing each other, Laura and Allison decided to move into an apartment together. It was a little sad for Isaac to watch his sister move in with his beta and not have her in the house with him, but seeing her happy made it all worth it. Plus, the apartment they moved into is close to the house and they come over all the time.

Erica and Lydia announced they were getting married two months ago. They said it was going to be a small ceremony and that it would happen  _after_  Scott and Stiles have given birth. It’s something that Isaac has wanted for them for a long time and when Erica asked him if he would give her away, the Alpha didn’t even  _hesitate_  to say yes.

A month after being home, Peter healed completely and his strength came back. He got a job two months later, working at another garage that  _wasn’t_  Isaac’s. There were some days when it was too much for him but, since then, he’s gotten a lot better. Derek’s gotten two jobs as well: one as a librarian (only a few days a week) and one as a bartender. It’s not what he planned on doing, of course, but it’s good money and they're something that will keep him occupied until he goes to school to become a computer engineer.

Cora graduated high school but instead of going  _straight off_  to Boyd’s to live, she’s decided to stay with Isaac and Scott -- at least until she goes to college and the new baby is born.

Scott and Stiles have grown closer, bonding over their pregnancies along with other common interests. Their bond has created one for the Lahey and Whittemore packs and while they won’t be merging anytime soon (or at all), Isaac is glad to have another pack watching out for them.

And Isaac’s pack gained some new members: Aiden, Ethan, and Danny.

 

 

**xx**

There’s a familiar blue Jeep parked in front of the house when Isaac comes home from work on Friday evening and he isn’t surprised to see it sitting there.  He can’t count the number of times he’s come home to find Scott and Stiles sitting on the couch, talking about their common interests or even just complaining about being pregnant. It’s not something Isaac thought would happen, really, but he can’t say that he’s not happy about the outcome.

Plus, it’s nice for Scott to have someone  _besides Isaac_  to talk about baby things with. While the Alpha doesn’t mind talking about names or colours for the nursery, he can’t sympathize with all the things going on with Scott’s body during his pregnancy. Not the way Stiles can, of course.

Isaac slips out of the Camaro and shuts the door, slipping his grease stained hands into the front pockets of his jeans. He can hear the conversations going on inside; Stiles and Scott are talking about baby names, _of course_ , while Derek and Peter read to Annabel upstairs. The whole thing puts a smile on his face and Isaac shakes his head as he goes inside, toeing out of his boots by the front door.

"Was that Isaac?" Stiles asks from the living room.

Snorting, Isaac shrugs out of his jacket and hangs it up, calling out, “Who else would it be?”

"Um… the boogeyman?"

"Right, because he exists." Isaac rolls his eyes and comes into the living room, smiling when he sees the pair sitting on the couch. Stiles is seven months pregnant and Scott is only six, but their stomachs are about the same size. The beta is wearing one of Isaac’s sweatshirts, stretching it out a little but the Alpha doesn’t really mind. Stiles’ stomach stretches the thin black t-shirt he’s wearing but they both look good, with their swollen bellies, and Isaac’s smile widens.

Scott stares at him and makes a face. “What are you smiling at?”

"Huh?" 

"You’re smiling like a creep," the beta murmurs, raising a brow. "Why?"

The Alpha shrugs his shoulders and comes over to kiss Scott gently. “Because you look so damn good,” he murmurs and pulls back when his mate snorts. “What was that for?”

"Do you  _really_  think all of this,” Scott motions to his belly, “is good looking?”

"Yes," Isaac replies, pouting playfully.

"I don’t see  _how._ " Scott puts his hands on either side of his stomach and sighs. "I’m huge and I can’t see my feet anymore. How can you find this attractive?" _  
_

Stiles laughs and moves, hugging Scott gently. “You’re gorgeous, Scott, and for Alphas… well, they find their mates more sexually appealing when they’re pregnant,” he explains.

"That’s — is that true?" 

"Yep, I find you irresistible and if I could, I would kick everyone out right now so I can fuck you on the couch," Isaac murmurs and laughs when Stiles mumbles something about it being too much information. "Sorry, I’m just. Yeah."

Scott licks his lips and shakes his head. “Maybe later,” he promises and smiles, running a hand along the swell of his stomach as Isaac sits down.

"So what were you two talking about?" The Alpha asks as he settles back against the chair, crossing his arms over his chest.

"We were discussing baby names," Stiles answers and groans, moving around before leaning forward to grab one of the many, many baby name books Derek borrowed from work. He hands it to Isaac and says, "Tell us what names you like."

"Am I supposed to look for a specific gender?" Isaac asks, taking the book before leaning back, bringing his right leg up before laying it over his left knee.

"Stiles thinks he’s having a boy and he swears up and down that I’m having a girl." Scott shrugs and gives the Alpha a smile.

Isaac nods and flips through the pages. “But you don’t know what you’re having?”

"Not until tomorrow," the human replies and smiles brightly. "Scott and I go in for a double ultrasound."

That makes Isaac smile and he nods again as he reads through some of the names. All the while, he listens to Scott and Stiles talk about how excited they are to finally know the sex of their babies. He has to admit that it is pretty exciting and that he can’t wait to know what they’re having either, so they can finally paint the nursery. 

It’s a little late in the pregnancy to be getting a sonogram that shows what gender the baby is but neither couple could agree on whether they wanted to know or not. Isaac wanted to know right away but Scott said he wasn’t sure, so they didn’t know. With Stiles and Jackson, the human had wanted to know when the Alpha wasn’t sure.

Now, though, they’re all on the same page and Isaac isn’t sure what gender he wants their baby to be. As long as it’s healthy and happy, that’s all that matters to him… though he would like a little boy. Either is fine, though.

After a moment of “reading” the baby names, Isaac shuts the book and puts it on the table.

"Well?" Stiles asks, quirking a brow.

"Which gender do you want to hear the names for?"

Scott and Stiles look at each other, shrugging; the beta answers. “Boy names,” he murmurs.

"Okay," Isaac laughs and licks his lips. "I like the names… Gabriel, Alexander, James, Samuel, Joshua, Colton…"

"What the hell kind of name is  _Colton_?” Scott makes a face and Isaac frowns.

"A good one," he mumbles, biting his lip. "Why, don’t you like it?"

The beta’s face smooths out and he laughs. “It reminds me of a baby horse,” he says.

"That’s  _colt_ ,” Stiles pipes up and blushes. “Sorry.”

Scott laughs again and shakes his head, saying, “No, it’s okay. I like  _some_  of those names.”

"Tell us the names  _you_  like, then,” Isaac suggests.

"Okay." Scott bites his lip for a moment and sighs. "Noah, Cayden, Jacob, Thomas, Caleb, Grayson, Matthew," he whispers, blushing a little.

Isaac quirks a brow and laughs. “Please tell me you didn’t get Grayson from Batman.”

"So what if I did?"

"I would say that it’s cute if you did," Isaac says and leans over, putting a hand on Scott’s stomach, rubbing it lightly. He looks at Stiles and asks, "What about you, what boy names do you like?"

Stiles blinks a few times and laughs, blushing slightly. “Um, well, I was thinking of Johnathon? For my dad, you know, but there’s also… Blake, Holden, Liam, Chase,” he says.

"Those are good names," Scott says, grinning. A second later, he groans and lets his head fall back against the top of the couch. "God, the baby is so active today…"

The baby kicks and moves around, which makes Isaac grin broadly. He loves just putting his hands on Scott’s stomach and feeling their baby move around for a while. It’s surreal and feels kind of weird but it’s also pretty amazing at the same time.

"What about girl names?" Stiles asks, a hand resting at the top of his own stomach, fingers moving around in slow circles.

Scott answers first. “Emma,” he says, almost immediately, and blushes. “I really like that name.”

"Me too," Isaac murmurs in agreement, brushing his thumb along Scott’s stomach. "And I like the name Charlotte."

"Emma Charlotte…" Humming, Scott drops his chin toward his chest an smiles at Isaac, moving a hand on top of his own, lacing their fingers together. "Did we just name our baby?"

Isaac laughs and leans in, kissing Scott’s stomach lightly. “If we’re having a  _girl_ , yes,” he murmurs, letting his thumb slide along the length of his mate’s.

"That’s a beautiful name," Stiles says, smiling at both of them as he leans back against the armrest, groaning. 

When he hears the groan, Isaac turns to look at Stiles. He can see that he’s smiling but wonders if the human is feeling awkward, so he turns the conversation around.

"Girl names: go."

A touch of colour bleeds into Stiles’ cheeks as he says, “Claudia.”

"Like your…" Isaac trails off, smiling sadly when the human nods. "She would like that."

"Who?" Scott asks, flicking his gaze between Isaac and Stiles.

The human clears his throat and looks away. “My mother,” he answers in a quiet voice and Isaac can feel the sadness rolling off of him.

"Stiles…"

"No, hey, it’s alright." Stiles smiles and moves to sit on the edge of the couch, sighing. "I should probably grab Annabel and head home before Jackson gets off work," he says.

Isaac nods his head and moves away from Scott so he can help the human up. Once he’s standing, the Alpha wraps his arms around Stiles and hugs him as gently as possible. “It’s okay, you know,” he murmurs against the human’s hair.

"Yeah, I know." Stiles hugs Isaac and pulls away with a quiet laugh.

While Scott helps Stiles gather his things, Isaac goes upstairs to get Annabel. He finds her laying on the bed between Derek and Peter, squealing whenever the younger beta does his “Big Bad Wolf” voice. It’s an adorable sight and as much as he hates to, Isaac knows that he has to break it up.

"Come on, baby, Papa’s waiting."

Annabel looks up and squeals, “Daddy!”

The older wolves hug the toddler and Derek kisses all over her face. Isaac knows that he’s going to be an amazing father when the time comes and can’t wait until he has nieces and nephews of his own. Peter is the last one to say goodbye and he nuzzles his nose against Annabel’s, smiling.

"Bye, sweetheart," Peter says as he puts her down on the floor.

"Daddy!" Annabel says as she runs toward Isaac, clinging to his leg. 

Isaac laughs and bends down, picking her up before settling her against his hip. “Say goodbye to Peter and Derek,” he says, waving to the pair on the bed, chuckling when Annabel waves before blowing kisses to them.

Stiles is waiting for them at the bottom of the stairs and Annabel nearly jumps out of Isaac’s arms to get to her other father, both arms wrapping around his neck. She snuggles against the human and waves to Scott, who’s still sitting on the couch, blowing kisses to him until she and Stiles are through the door.

"We’ll see you guys Sunday," Stiles says, looking over his shoulder at Isaac, who follows him out to the Jeep.

"Okay. Drive carefully, okay?"

The human nods and moves to the car, opening the passenger door. “Will do. Say bye to daddy, Anna,” he says and the toddler blows kisses to Isaac, who laughs.

"I love you guys," he says, waving as he watches Stiles put their daughter into her car seat before climbing in behind the wheel. He stays there until the Jeep is out of the driveway and he goes back inside, blinking when he nearly runs into Derek.

"Shit," Derek mumbles and laughs, putting a hand on Isaac’s bicep. "Didn’t see you."

Isaac rolls his eyes and smacks Derek’s side playfully. “Where are you off to?”

"Peter and I are going out to dinner. So you and Scott have the whole house to yourselves."

"Yes!" Scott shouts from the other room and Isaac rolls his eyes.

"That’s sweet of you but you guys don’t have to leave," he says.

Derek snorts and shakes his head, dropping his hand before shoving it into the front pocket of his jeans. “You guys haven’t had a night alone and Scott was complaining about being… turned on earlier, so we decided to do something nice,” he replies, shrugging.

Before Isaac can say anything, Peter comes down the stairs, shrugging into his coat. He smiles and stops at the bottom, wrapping his arms around Derek’s waist. “Just say thank you and have sex with your mate,” the older wolf mumbles.

"Fine, fine." Isaac laughs and hugs them both. "Thank you," he whispers as he pulls back, patting them both on the shoulder before moving into the living room.

"Don’t fuck him too hard!" Peter calls out and Derek adds, "Yeah, you might send him into early labor!"

The door shuts after that and Isaac snorts as he sits down on the couch next to Scott, immediately pulling him for a gentle kiss. “Sorry about them,” he murmurs.

"Oh, it’s fine. I was the one who threatened to beat the crap out of them if they didn’t leave so I can get lucky," Scott says, grinning as he bumps their noses together.

"We could have gone out somewhere, you know…"

Scott shakes his head and turns, groaning a little. “I feel too…  _huge_  to go out anywhere and, besides, I want to have sex in  _our home_ ,” he mumbles.

Without another word, Isaac puts his hand on Scott’s stomach and kisses him slowly, letting his eyes slide shut with a sigh. He moves his thumb in slow circles, rubbing his mate’s belly through the fabric covering it, and pulls back after a moment.

"Do you want to go upstairs?"

"Will you help me?" Scott asks with a smirk.

Isaac rolls his eyes and stands, putting his hands out for Scott. The beta takes them and stands with a groan, breathing hard as soon as he’s vertical. They both take a moment and when Scott says he’s okay, Isaac leads him up the stairs, then down to their bedroom.

It’s been a while since they’ve had the house alone and having sex with other people who can hear every single thing you’re doing is just weird. So Isaac hasn’t been able to do much other than a handjob or a blowjob in the shower. 

"Isaac…" Scott whines when they’re in the bedroom and he feels the Alpha’s mouth on his neck.

"Hmm?"

Scott huffs and turns around, pressing their bodies together. “I want you to fuck me,” he says, simply, and presses a kiss to Isaac’s mouth, sucking on his lower lip before pulling back.

And Isaac couldn’t say no even if he wanted to. 

"Get naked," he whispers, his hands moving all along Scott’s body.

The beta nods and pulls away, lifting the sweatshirt off his body. He throws it onto the floor and pushes his pajama pants down, kicking them away. Scott’s forgone underwear, Isaac notices, and he groans as he takes his own clothes off, throwing them around the room aimlessly.

Once they’re both naked, Isaac kisses Scott’s lips, cheek, jaw, and down the side of his neck before sucking just above his pulse. He backs his mate up toward the bed and lays him down gently, dragging his mouth down before sucking on Scott’s nipple, grinning when he moans loudly.

"Please," the beta gasps, his hands tangled in Isaac’s hair. " _Please_ _._ ”

Isaac breathes hard and nods, moving to grab a bottle of lube from the nightstand. He pops it open and stands, looking down at Scott as he thinks about what position would be best for them to have sex in. 

"I think you should ride me," he suggests, shivering when Scott moans in response.

Without being told, the beta moves onto his knees and looks at Isaac, brown eyes darker than before and his pupils blown. He’s got his lower lip caught between his teeth and sucks on it slowly, a constant dragging motion, and Isaac groans as he moves onto the bed.

Once he’s situated at the top, Isaac watches Scott move forward. He’s still graceful, even with a baby bump, and the Alpha bites his lower lip as he pours lube onto his fingers. The first touch of the cold liquid against Scott’s hole has him shivering and he wraps both arms around Isaac’s neck, tipping his head back a little.

"Fuck," Scott breathes, moving his hips when Isaac presses a finger into him. 

Isaac leans in and licks a stripe along Scott’s throat, sucking on his Adam’s apple. He slips his finger in and out slowly, working a second one in when the beta tells him to. Scott opens up easily and Isaac groans at how tight he feels around his fingers when he slips a third in, biting down on his shoulder.

A hand moves into his hair and Isaac moans, sucking on a mark that will disappear almost immediately but Scott is moaning and whimpering so he just keeps doing it. He wishes that he could mark his mate, show everyone that he’s  _his_ , but his scent and Scott’s pregnant belly do the job for him.

"Come on, Isaac," Scott whines, moving his hips against the Alpha’s hand. "Fuck me."

That’s all he needs to hear. Isaac pulls his fingers out and pours lube onto his palm, stroking it over his cock slowly before pressing the head against Scott’s hole. He tells his mate to slide down slowly, to take his time, but the beta moves down and takes all of Isaac’s cock in one go, moaning loudly.

"Jesus Christ," Isaac groans through gritted teeth, his hands moving to Scott’s hips.

Scott licks his lips and starts moving his hips slowly. It’s hard for him to move with so much weight but Isaac helps, lifting him up before pulling him back down. They go slow, of course, and Isaac peppers Scott’s skin with small kisses, murmuring soft praises against his neck.

“ _Isaac_ ,” Scott moans when he drops down faster, their thighs slapping together.

A growl settles in Isaac’s throat and he starts thrusting forward quickly, moving one hand up to grip Scott’s hair gently. He sucks on the beta’s earlobe, worries it between his teeth, and starts to rotate his hips slowly, fucking his mate harder.

And it’s  _so good_. Isaac forgot just how good pregnancy sex was and it’s a thousand times better with Scott than it had been with Stiles. It makes him think about the future, about when Scott gets pregnant again, and he groans against the beta’s jaw, breathing hard.

Neither of them are going to last long. The room already reeks of sex and Scott’s making these soft keening noises, his hips stuttering forward, cock brushing against Isaac’s stomach. He smears precome along the Alpha’s skin, spreading his scent all over Isaac, and the Alpha moves so he’s laying on his back.

Scott squeaks in surprise and looks up at Isaac, breathing hard. “Fuck me, Alpha,” he says, smirking lazily like it was a goddamn challenge.

"You want me to fuck you?" Isaac asks and Scott nods his head, eyes fluttering shut as soon as the Alpha starts thrusting into him harder. He holds himself up on his hands, not wanting to put his weight down on Scott’s stomach, and slams in quickly. "Stroke yourself," he breathes, nodding down toward the beta’s cock, grinning.

Not having to be told twice, Scott wraps a hand around his cock and strokes it quickly, going in time with each and every one of Isaac’s thrusts. When the Alpha hits his prostate, the beta moans loudly, nearly shouting, and his orgasm hits a moment later. He comes all over them, getting it on his own hand and stomach as well as Isaac’s.

Isaac groans and tips his head back, growling quietly. Scott’s muscles clench around his cock as he comes and he continues fucking him roughly for a moment, dropping his hand down to kiss along Scott’s stomach and chest, breathing hard.

It takes another few minutes for him to come and he buries himself into Scott, whimpering and groaning as he comes, hips stuttering forward. They still after a moment and Isaac breathes hard, pressing kisses all along his mate’s neck and shoulder, biting here and there.

"Fuck," Scott groans and laughs, his hand moving through Isaac’s hair.

"Yeah," Isaac agrees, chuckling as he pulls out. He moves down and cleans the come off of his mate’s skin, pressing gentle kisses to his stomach. 

Once they’re both cleaned up, Isaac pulls a blanket over them and lays behind Scott, wrapping an arm around him, resting it on his stomach. They stay silent for a moment and Isaac is half convinced that Scott is asleep but the beta sighs heavily and turns his head, smiling at the Alpha before kissing him.

"Are you hungry?" Isaac asks, rubbing Scott’s stomach slowly.

"Um, I’m pregnant, Isaac. Of course I’m hungry."

Isaac snorts and kisses Scott’s cheek before moving off the bed. He grabs his boxers and tugs them on, grabbing a shirt as an afterthought. As he gets dressed, he asks what Scott wants to eat and once the beta has told him, Isaac tells his mate to stay in bed. Scott says something about helping but the Alpha insists that he stay, that he can get dinner for them both and that Scott should be resting.

Thirty minutes later, Isaac takes dinner up to their bedroom and sees Scott sitting up against the headboard, looking at their previous sonogram pictures. He smiles and sits down next to his mate, head leaning against his as they look at the photos. Scott eventually puts them away and they eat dinner while discussing the doctor’s appointment tomorrow.

For the rest of the night, they lay in bed and watch movies. Scott passes out around ten and that’s about the time Peter and Derek come back. The house goes from being silent to being loud but it doesn’t keep Isaac from falling asleep and it doesn’t wake Scott up, so it’s fine.

 

**xx**

Isaac wakes up in the morning to an empty bed and frowns, wondering where Scott could be until he hears the shower running. He sprawls out on the mattress and sighs, yawning as he stretches his arms up, wincing a little when he hits the headboard.

"Are you up?" Scott calls from he shower and Isaac smiles.

"Are you asking if my dick is up or if I’m awake?"

Scott laughs and Isaac slips out of the bed, moving into the bathroom before stripping out of his clothes. He steps into the shower with Scott, kissing along his shoulders, hands moving over his stomach slowly as he inhales his mate’s scent.

"So you’re just awake, I see," the beta murmurs as he presses his ass back against Isaac, letting his head fall onto his shoulder. 

"I could be up, if you really want me to be…"

Another laugh bubbles up from Scott’s throat and he shakes his head slowly, fingers lacing with Isaac’s. “As much as I would love to have shower sex with you, we have to get going soon,” he points out.

It takes a moment for Isaac to realize what Scott means and he blinks a few times, nodding slowly. He forgot all about the doctor’s appointment but now that he’s remembered it, Isaac is excited to go. So he helps Scott wash up, running his hands along his mate’s body lovingly, and lets the beta wash him.

They rinse off and step out  few minutes later, Scott groaning a little as he moves and the baby kicks. Isaac can see it and he grins as he bends down, pressing a kiss to the top of Scott’s stomach, whispering good morning to their baby.

"That was disgustingly cute," Scott mumbles as they walk out of the bathroom and into the bedroom.

Isaac blushes and goes to grab clothes for them both. “It was not and if you tell anyone, I’ll deny it forever,” he replies, though he’s pretty sure Derek and Peter heard him — if they’re up, of course.

The two of them dry off and get dressed. Scott needs a bit of help getting into a pair of jeans, so Isaac assists him and kisses his lips when the beta complains about being huge again. He tells Scott that he’s perfect, always has been and always will be, and that seems to sate him.

Once they’re ready, Isaac takes Scott downstairs and makes breakfast for both of them. It’s weird how their roles have changed but the Alpha doesn’t want to make his mate stand for longer than he has to, even though Scott says, over and over, that he’s  _fine._

Derek makes his way down to the kitchen five minutes before Isaac and Scott leave and he makes them promise to take a video of the sonogram. The request makes the Alpha’s heart jump in his chest and he promises that he’ll take videos  _and_  pictures.

"Ready to go?" Scott asks after finishing his pancakes, looking up at Isaac with a grin on his face. He can tell the beta is excited and nervous and his own emotions mirror his mate’s. Without saying a word, Isaac nods and takes Scott’s hand, leading him to the front door and then outside, toward the Camaro.

They’re in and buckled when Scott says, “We need a new car.”

"What?"

"We can’t transport our family in a  _Camaro_ , Isaac.”

"No, no way. This car is my baby," Isaac mutters as he pulls out of the driveway and into the road. He shifts into drive and heads toward the hospital, listening to Scott rattle on about how they need a bigger,  _safer_  vehicle for their children.

After a few minutes of thinking about it, Isaac cracks.

"Okay, okay," he grumbles and pouts. "Maybe we can get a new car and I can keep this one for, you know, when I have my ‘Daddy-Needs-A-Day-To-Himself’ days."

Scott laughs out loud and nods, patting Isaac’s arm. “Yeah, you can keep it for those reasons. We’ll go looking for something better soon,” he says and puts his hands back onto his stomach.

"No minivans."

"I promise," Scott whispers.

That’s good enough for Isaac and he hums, driving happily. He glances over at Scott every now and then, watches him trace patterns on his stomach with his fingertips, and smiles. When they get to the hospital, Isaac drops Scott off at the door and parks next to Stiles’ Jeep.

Jackson and Stiles are waiting for them both at the nurse’s station. The beta and the human hug each other, laughing when their stomach bump together, and Isaac just nods to Jackson before hugging Stiles. 

"Whittemore-Lahey?" A nurse asks and everyone speaks up at once, causing them all to laugh as they follow the woman down the hall.

There’s a room set up with two ultrasound machines and as soon as they’re through the door, Isaac’s hands start shaking with excitement. He can’t wait to know what they’re having and also can’t wait to know what Stiles and Jackson are having.

"Hi, my name is Ashley," the ultrasound tech says. She’s shorter, has blonde hair that’s shaved on the sides, and a smile that makes Isaac feel like he can actually trust her touching his mate. "Today’s the big day, hmm?"

"Yes," Scott answers, laughing as he lays down on the exam table. He pulls his shirt up so his entire stomach is showing and takes Isaac’s hand while Ashley squeezes the gel onto his bump.

Ashley grabs the probe and Isaac squeezes Scott’s hand. “What are we hoping for today, a boy or a girl?”

"Boy," Isaac says and Scott surprises him by saying, "Girl."

"Well, one of you will be happy." Ashley laughs and turns the monitor on before pressing the probe to Scott’s stomach. She works it around through the gel and hums as she tries to find a good image of the baby.

Isaac takes a video of what’s happening on the monitor and occasionally gets Scott into the frame. It takes a moment for the tech to find a good shot and when she does, she announces, “And… it looks like you two are having a little girl.”

"Really?" Scott asks, breathless.

"Mmm hmm. A little girl," Ashley says, hitting a few buttons before moving the probe away. She cleans it up and then wipes a towel over Scott’s stomach, smiling at him. "Congratulations."

Scott beams and looks at Isaac, who’s grinning broadly. “Another little girl,” he says, squeezing the Alpha’s hand.

"Yeah, Emma Charlotte." Isaac leans down and kisses Scott before sending a mass text to the whole pack that says ‘we’re having a girl!’.

Across the room, Stiles squeals in delight. “A boy! We’re having a boy,” he says and Isaac smiles at them. 

"Congratulations," Isaac and Scott say at the same time. They laugh together and wait for Ashley to give them their pictures. On the sonogram, written in tiny little font, is ‘I’m a girl’.

They leave the hospital fifteen minutes later. Scott and Stiles walk together, following their Alphas, and talk about their sonograms. They also discuss baby names, nursery colours, and how funny it would be if their children became mated one day.

"That’d be weird, considering both of these babies are Annabel’s half siblings," Isaac points out but he does it with a grin as he leans against the back of the Camaro.

Stiles snorts and shrugs. “So? Your uncle and brother are mated. That’s a lot weirder than this,” he says and sticks his tongue out at Isaac.

"Oh god, that would be so cute, though," Scott says, smiling.

"You do realize that neither of these children are born, right?" Jackson points out, his arms crossed over his chest and a smile on his face.

They talk for another few minutes before leaving. Jackson and Isaac actually hug this time, which makes their mates go ‘aww’ at the top of their lungs, and they pull back quickly.

Scott calls his mother on the way home and tells her the good news, which makes Isaac smile as he listens to their conversation. When they finally get back to the house and go inside, Peter and Derek are waiting for them. They both hug Isaac and Scott as they talk about how amazing it is that they’re having a little girl.

When the two of them leave, Isaac and Scott go upstairs. They lay in bed together and talk about their daughter. Isaac asks Scott what colour he wants the nursery to be and they decide on a pale purple colour. 

And while Scott takes a nap, Isaac goes to the store and gets the necessary supplies for painting the nursery. The room is bare, though they have everything they need in the basement, and Isaac spends all day painting their baby’s room while Scott watches.

They only have a few short months left before Emma Charlotte is in the world and Isaac can’t wait to be a father again. He’s also nervous, though, about the c-section Scott will have to go through but knows that he’ll be okay. That they’ll all be one big, happy, perfect family.


	28. Chapter 28

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The day everyone's been waiting for.

[three months later]

Scott is miserable and everyone in the pack can see it. He’s nine months pregnant and two weeks overdue, which is making him highly uncomfortable. Everyone tries to make him feel relaxed and tries to help with his comfort level but _nothing_  works. Isaac’s at a loss for what to do to help his mate because sitting on the sidelines and watching him become increasingly more grumpy with each passing day isn’t helping. 

It seems like nothing will help… until one day when Stiles and Jackson bring their newborn over for a visit. Isaac doesn’t think it’s a good idea but the human insists, says that no one can resist the charm of their three week old infant, Johnathon Matthew. The Alpha is still wary about the whole situation and is worried that Jackson might go off the deep end when he sees another werewolf holding his baby.

And as soon as Stiles walks through the bedroom door holding Johnathon, Scott lights up.

"Gimme the baby," he says as he sits up, groaning the whole time.

"I don’t know if Jackson would want you to — " Isaac starts but Stiles interrupts him.

"Johnathon is  _my_  baby, Isaac, and Jackson will just have to get over it.” 

Isaac sighs but doesn’t say anything else. He goes to sit on the bed beside Scott and watches the way his mate’s face lights up when Johnathon is laid in his arms. The squirming, whimpering infant calms down immediately, his eyes opening to settle on the werewolves above him.

"Oh my  _god_ ,” Scott breathes as he brings a hand up, touching the baby’s chubby cheek. “He is so cute, Stiles.”

"Thanks," Stiles laughs and sits on the edge of the mattress. "I did have  _some_  help, you know.”

As if that were his cue to enter, Jackson comes in and leans against the door frame. “He got his looks from Stiles,” the Alpha mutters and grins. “Hey, Scott.”

"Jackson," the beta replies without even looking up from the baby. "God, I can’t wait until I give birth and Emma is here. I feel so huge and gross and  _uncomfortable._ ”

"Have you tried doing things to induce labor?" Stiles asks, looking between Scott and Isaac with a raised brow. When both of them shake their heads, the human purses his lips together for a moment. "You could try having sex."

Scott snorts quietly and finally looks up. “Right, okay. I look and  _feel_  disgusting, why would Isaac even want to touch me? I wouldn’t want to touch myself,” he mumbles.

"Maybe we should ask Isaac for his opinion," Isaac mutters and moves a hand up, touching the back of Johnathon’s head. The newborn has a thick patch of light brown hair on top of his head and it curls up at the ends, which makes Isaac smile. He looks over at Jackson, just to see what his reaction will be, and is surprised to see the other Alpha looks calm and relaxed.

"Okay," the beta sighs and looks at his mate. "Do you want to sleep with me?"

Isaac hums as he looks up at Scott, smiling. “Yeah, I do. We can try that later, if you want,” he says and shrugs his shoulders, looking down at Johnathon, who yawns loudly.

"It’s a suggestion," Stiles says and touches his son’s foot, pressing his thumb against the arch with a smile on his face. "That’s, um, what Jackson and I were doing before my water broke."

“ _Stiles_ ,” Jackson hisses, though he doesn’t sound angry.

The human laughs and looks at his mate, raising a brow. “What? It’s true!”

"They don’t need to  _know that_ , though.” 

"Please." Stiles waves a hand dismissively and runs a fingertip along the middle of the infant’s foot, smiling at Scott, who’s watching the baby intently. "You’re going to be a good dad."

"You think so?" Scott asks, his voice barely above a whisper.

Stiles nods and scoots up to the top of the bed, sitting so that his arm is touching Scott’s. He slides it around the beta’s shoulders and squeezes him lightly, mumbling, “I know so.”

Isaac watches them curiously for a moment and looks at Jackson, smiling at him. The other Alpha returns it and nods toward the hallway, which is a signal for Isaac to follow him, and he nods his head slowly before turning to look at Scott.

"Jackson and I are going to talk," he says and kisses the top of his mate’s head, nuzzling him a little before pulling back, sighing. "See you in a minute, little man." Isaac smiles and runs a fingertip along the back of Johnathon’s hand, then stands before moving toward the door, shutting it behind him as he steps out.

The two Alphas walk down the stairs and go outside to sit on the porch. Jackson leans against the railing, his arms crossed over his chest, and Isaac looks at him, thinking how odd it is to see the older man in casual clothes. He’s almost always in his “business clothes” or in his scrubs; Isaac can count on _one hand_  how many times he’s seen Jackson wear jeans and a t-shirt.

"Scott looks good with a baby," Jackson says and smiles at Isaac.

"Yeah, he does. I thought you would freak out when you saw him holding your son."

Jackson shrugs his shoulders and shifts around a little. “I thought I would, too, but you two are like family to us,” he replies and licks his lips. “We trust you guys and Stiles  _loves_  Scott, so I couldn’t exactly deny him the right to show our son off to people.”

"I hope I’m the same way," Isaac mumbles as he sits on the edge of his chair, his hands between his spread thighs. "Scott thinks I’m going to freak out if anyone touches him or our daughter when she’s born but… I think I’ll be alright."

"Just remind yourself that the nurses and doctors aren’t going to  _hurt_  them; they’re there to help and make sure nothing goes wrong.”

"That’s easier said than done."

"Believe me," Jackson whispers as he leans closer to Isaac, laughing. "I know how hard it is not to freak out while your mate is being touched by strangers… but I managed to keep myself from shifting and going wolf on their asses."

That makes Isaac laugh and he nods his head. “At least Melissa is going to be in there with him and I’ll know  _someone_ ,” he mutters.

"I can try to be on the delivery team if you want."

"Seriously?" Isaac pulls his eyebrows together and stares at Jackson, who splays his hands, shrugging a little. "That would be… kind of awesome," he says and laughs.

"Then I’ll see what I can do." 

Isaac looks at Jackson, at the easy smile on his face, and wonders how the hell they both ended up here. When he found out that Stiles was sleeping with someone else, Isaac thought he would hate the werewolf he was seeing but… he doesn’t hate Jackson. It’s hard  _not_  to like him and Isaac actually kind of loves him, loves both Jackson and Stiles like they’re family.

"Hey, so, Stiles and I were talking…" Jackson murmurs as he lifts a hand, scratching the back of his neck for a moment.

"And…?"

"We wanted to know if you and Scott would be Johnathon’s godparents."

When Jackson says that, Isaac blinks a few times. He can hear Scott upstairs, saying that of course they’ll be the godparents, and he laughs before licking his lips. Jackson smiles wider and raises an eyebrow expectantly, crossing his legs at the ankles.

"Yeah, we’d love to be the godparents," Isaac answers finally and stands, holding his hand out to the other Alpha. He’s surprised when Jackson pulls him into a hug, squeezing him tightly for a moment before letting go. 

They talk for a few more minutes, until Stiles says that Johnathon needs a bottle. Jackson goes back inside and Isaac follows him a few minutes later, frowning when he sees Scott coming down the stairs, one hand on his belly and the other on the railing.

"You’re supposed to be in bed."

Scott looks up and stops on the middle step, making a face. “I’m  _bored_ ,” he whines and continues walking down the stairs with Stiles behind him. 

"Hey, I gave you specific instructions to stay in bed," Jackson says as he comes in from the kitchen, shaking a bottle around in his hand. His tone is teasing and he’s got a smile on his face, which is still odd to see but Isaac knows that having a baby has made him happier.

"I hate you all," Scott groans and steps off the bottom stair, blowing out a long breath. "Except for Stiles because he was the one that told me walking helps with labor."

Stiles beams from behind him and moves so they’re standing side by side. “Come on, we’ll get you to the couch and you can lay there,’ he says, holding his free arm out to Scott. He’s got Johnathon cradled in the crook of his other arm and Isaac wonders if he should take the baby away so he doesn’t drop him.

They make it to the couch, Scott going slowly the whole way, and no one gets hurt. Isaac holds his breath until the very last second and lets it out when he sees Stiles sit down in one of the chairs, Johnathon safe and happy in his arms. Once everyone is settled, Isaac goes to join his mate on the couch and puts a hand on his stomach.

"I want her to  _come out_  already,” the beta mumbles.

"Everyone wants her to come out already," Isaac points out and chuckles, kissing Scott when he pouts at him, bumping their noses together when he pulls back. "Maybe we’ll put the ‘sex induces labor’ theory to the test tonight."

Scott makes a face at first and then nods, smiling. “Yeah, maybe. I mean, we haven’t had sex for almost a month now,” he mumbles.

"Seriously?" Jackson asks, his eyebrows raised. "Stiles and I had sex right up until the day he gave birth."

"How lovely for you." Scott grins and moves his hands along his stomach, sighing. "I haven’t felt like it because I feel… gross."

"You don’t  _look_  gross,” Stiles offers, smiling as he feeds Johnathon.

"I feel like I do."

"Well," Isaac interjects as he leans down to kiss Scott’s stomach, "I think you’re gorgeous."

A laugh bubbles up from Scott’s throat and he moves his fingers through Isaac’s hair slowly, nodding his head. “Thank you. That makes me feel better,” he says, carding his fingers through the Alpha’s curls, scratching his scalp lightly.

For the next hour, the four of them sit around and talk. Stiles hands Johnathon to Isaac after he’s been burped and the Alpha cradles the infant against his chest. He’s so tiny and fragile, even though he’s a werewolf, and Isaac worries about his scent being all over the newborn but Jackson and Stiles don’t seem to care.

When Cora comes home from class, Stiles and Jackson decide to leave before everyone else comes back. They hug everyone and the human makes Scott promise to call him the second he goes into labor, which the beta agrees to wholeheartedly. Once they’re gone, Scott lays on the couch while Isaac and Cora make dinner.

Just when it’s done, Derek and Peter come in from work. Peter reeks of motor oil and Scott complains about it before making him go upstairs. They leave the door open, letting the crisp fall air come inside, and soon the beta stops making comments about the place reeking.

After dinner, Derek helps the Alpha take Scott back upstairs and into bed. He leaves them alone and goes downstairs to watch a movie with Peter and Cora. Once they’re alone and Scott is comfortable on the bed, Isaac kisses him before moving to get changed for bed but the beta holds onto him, smiling.

"What?" Isaac asks, blinking down at his mate.

"Fuck me," Scott answers and the air in the Alpha’s throat catches, causing him to choke.

Once Isaac is calmed down and no longer coughing, he mumbles, “You sure?”

"Would I ask you if I weren’t sure?"

Scott has a point; not once have they had sex without both parties wanting it and the Alpha would never push the beta into doing anything. Isaac still has to make sure, though, because he doesn’t want to make his mate feel uncomfortable. So he listens to Scott’s heartbeat, hears how steady it is, and looks down at him with his lip caught between his teeth.

"Yeah," Isaac breathes, nodding his head slowly. "Okay."

Without another word, Isaac straightens up and undoes his jeans, wiggling out of them before pulling his shirt over his head. He throws his clothes to the side and moves onto the bed, kneeling above Scott before leaning down to kiss him. As they kiss, Isaac wonders how they’re going to do this because the beta’s stomach is larger than before. 

Then an idea comes to him and he pulls back, which makes Scott whine.

"How about instead of me trying to fuck  _you_ … you fuck me?” Isaac asks breathlessly.

"Wha — what?"

Isaac laughs and kisses Scott gently. “I could ride you. Stiles never said that you had to be  _fucked_  in order for your labor to start,” he mumbles.

"Fuck." Scott closes his eyes and takes a deep breath, nodding his head slowly. "Yeah, I wanna fuck you," he says, letting his eyes flutter open as he smiles.

"Okay." Isaac grins and moves to grab the lube from their nightstand, pouring some onto his fingers before sitting up on his knees. He blows out a long breath and relaxes, pressing the tip of his finger against his entrance, groaning low in his throat. 

Scott watches him with wide eyes and then takes his shirt off, throwing it somewhere onto the floor. When Isaac moves to allow him to take his sweatpants off, he wiggles them down his hips and kicks them off, his hands moving along the Alpha’s thighs.

Neither of them speak while Isaac slips his finger in and gasps. He’s never done this to himself, never knew it could feel so good, and he starts to ride his hand slowly. When one digit moves in and out with ease, Isaac presses a second in and starts separating them slowly, gasping Scott’s name.

"You have  _no idea_  how hot that is,” Scott mumbles, his hands dragging along the Alpha’s thighs before resting on his hips.

Isaac lets out a breathless laugh and presses a third finger inside, scissoring them slowly as he moves his free hand down, grabbing Scott’s. He laces their fingers together and rides his hand for another moment before the feeling of three fingers isn’t enough for him. So he pulls the digits out slowly and grabs the lube, pouring some onto the palm of his hand before stroking it over Scott’s cock.

After taking in a deep breath, Isaac holds the base of Scott’s cock and takes a moment before sinking down, moaning loudly when the head presses against his hole. He bites down on his lower lip and hammers down the feeling of dominance that rises up in him because he wants this, wants to submit to his mate. 

"Fuck," Isaac moans, dragging the word out as he slides down even more. He breathes hard and bites down on his lower lip as soon as the entire length of Scott’s cock is inside of him. It’s a strange feeling but not an unpleasant one, definitely something he could get used to doing often.

Scott’s breathing harshly underneath him and Isaac frowns as he asks, “Are you okay?”

"Huh?" When Isaac repeats the question, Scott nods and smiles. "I’m fine, just… not used to being on _this side_  of the equation,” he says and laughs, moving his hands along Isaac’s body, bringing them up to pinch his nipples, tugging on the rings.

“ _Scott_.” Isaac gasps sharply and starts moving his hips a little before lifting himself up experimentally. The feeling of Scott’s cock sliding out of him makes the Alpha whine and he drops back down, moaning as he throws his head back.

The beta whimpers and tries to move his hips but groans in frustration. “You have to do most of the work,” he breathes and laughs. “Sorry.”

"S’okay." With a quiet chuckle, Isaac drops his chin toward his chest and looks down at the man underneath him, moaning. God, Scott looks good under him and it makes him harder, his cock throbbing as he starts moving slowly, rotating his hips.

Isaac doesn’t know if this is helping and won’t until later but he hopes it does. He knows that it feels even more amazing than he thought it would and now he knows why Scott loves it so much. When he gets completely used to the feeling of being full, Isaac starts bouncing up and down a little harder, moving his hands to grip the headboard.

Much to Isaac’s surprise, Scott leans up and sucks on his nipple, tugging the ring with his teeth before pulling back, one hand going to the Alpha’s cock. He’s talking, saying something about how good the Alpha feels but the words sound distant to Isaac, so he doesn’t pay attention.

The hand moving along his cock and the one on his nipple makes Isaac shudder. He lets out a ragged moan and rotates his hips slowly, deliberately, and then lifts himself up. Isaac lets his weight drop back down and he moans louder than before, not caring that Cora, Derek, and Peter can hear him from downstairs.

"Fuck, Scott," he whimpers and bounces harder, his cock throbbing. The heat in the pit of his stomach coils tighter and he can feel himself getting closer to coming. So Isaac starts moving harder, though he worries about jostling Scott and sending him into labor in the middle of sex.

Scott moans and tilts his head back against the pillow, the hand on Isaac’s cock stilling for a second before pumping harder. “Isaac… come on, I’m close,” he moans and moves his hips a little, gasping as Isaac drops down at the exact same moment.

That spurs Isaac on and he straightens up, moving his hands back to rest on Scott’s knees, angling his hips in a different way before slamming them down. Both werewolves moan at the same time, though Isaac’s is louder than his mate’s, and he breathes hard. 

"Scott, fuck, fuck, I’m going to come…"

"Yeah?" Scott breathes and laughs, the noise tapering off into a moan. He starts stroking Isaac even harder, the other hand moving along his chest, thumb pressed against the Alpha’s nipple, rubbing it roughly. That makes Isaac throw his head back and growl loudly, his hips stuttering for a second before he drops back down, sitting on Scott’s lap.

It takes a few more strokes and Scott rubbing his nipple harder to make Isaac come. He gasps loudly, his hands gripping the beta’s knees tightly as he moans his name and comes all over his mate’s stomach, hand, and chest. A few more growls escape from his throat as Isaac comes down from his orgasm, breathing harshly.

Scott whines underneath him and Isaac laughs breathlessly as he moves his hips slowly, trying to make his mate come. He lifts a shaky hand, pressing it against Scott’s chest before pinching his nipple between two fingers, rolling it gently. That makes the beta groan and he arches his back as much as he can, dropping his hands to the mattress.

"Come for me, Scott," Isaac whispers, running his other hand down over Scott’s stomach, rubbing it lightly. He continues to talk, telling his mate how good his cock feels and how badly he wants Scott to come inside of him, pinching his nipple a little harder.

When Isaac moves his hips more and bounces on his lap, Scott moans loudly. “Isaac! Fuck, fuck… Isaac,” he moans and gasps as he comes, his hips stuttering forward but only a little.

The Alpha growls, feeling Scott come inside of him and moving his hips slowly before stilling completely, laughing as he leans down to kiss his mate. They kiss lazily for a moment and then Isaac lifts off, groaning as he lays down on the mattress beside Scott, blowing out a long breath.

"Need to clean up," Scott mumbles and laughs, looking at Isaac. "I hope this works."

"Me too. Give me a minute and I’ll go get a towel to clean you up with."

Isaac breathes in deeply and turns over to kiss Scott’s cheek, smiling against it before pulling away so he can climb out of bed. He pads over to the bathroom and walks in without turning the light on, just grabs a towel before turning the sink on. Once he’s wet half of the towel, Isaac turns the sink off and goes back into the bedroom, cleaning Scott’s stomach and chest up with a smile.

As soon as they’re both cleaned up and dried, Isaac tosses the towel into the hamper. He climbs into bed with Scott, pulls a blanket over their bodies, and presses his face against the side of his mate’s neck, sighing. “Goodnight,” Isaac murmurs, kissing along Scott’s pulse with a smile.

"Goodnight." Scott yawns and closes his eyes, snuggling back against Isaac. "I love you," he whispers and his heart jumps as soon as Isaac says it back.

The next five hours are peaceful… but around midnight, Scott wakes up and gasps sharply.

**xx**

"Isaac," Scott whispers, moving a hand to shake his mate’s shoulder. The Alpha mumbles and snuggles against him again, saying something about going back to sleep. "No, we can’t go back to sleep. Isaac, I think I’m going into labor."

Once the word “labor” is thrown out, Isaac wakes up and blinks rapidly. “What?”

"Labor. Me.  _Now_.”

"Oh shit." Isaac moves away from Scott and goes to grab their clothes, pulling his own quickly before helping his mate stand up. Once Scott is vertical, Isaac helps him into his t-shirt and sweatpants, his heartbeat thundering in his ears. He’s freaking out, his hands are shaking as he helps tie the front of Scott’s pants, and he forces himself to calm down.

Scott’s surprisingly calm, though, and that makes Isaac laugh. He grabs the bag they packed a few weeks ago, when the beta’s due date rolled around, and slings it over his shoulder as he makes his way back to his mate. Isaac helps Scott out of the room and down the stairs, shouting for everyone to wake up.

Peter runs down the hall, tugging a shirt over his head, and yawns. “What’s going on?”

"Labor," Scott says and sucks in a sharp breath. "Oh,  _god_ , that hurts.”

"What do you want us to do?" Peter asks, his eyes wide.

They stop at the door and Isaac grabs his keys as he says, “Call everyone else, tell them to come to the hospital because I’m going to need you all.”

"Me — " Scott gasps and blows out a long, slow breath, " — too."

Derek joins Peter at the top of the stairs, his expression mirroring his mate’s. “Oh my god, is this happening?”

"Yes," Isaac answers and smiles, waving his brother off when he comes down the stairs. "I can handle this, okay? You two call the rest of the pack and get them to he hospital."

With that, Isaac helps Scott out of the house and takes him over to the Camaro. He waits until his mate is in the car before shutting the door and going around to the driver’s side. That’s when he remembers that someone has to call Melissa and he rolls the window down to shout, “Call Melissa first! Tell her to meet us there.”

Scott makes a noise that sounds pained and Isaac frowns, moving his hand to his mate’s. He squeezes gently and pulls back so he can shift gears, pulling out of the driveway quickly. After shifting a few more gears, Isaac starts driving toward the hospital.

"Oh my god, this baby is going to come out soon," Scott mumbles in between harsh breaths, his eyes screwed shut as he grabs Isaac’s wrist, gripping it tightly.

"The baby’s not going to come out, don’t worry."

"How —  _fuck_.”

Isaac raises a brow and glances at his mate. “What, what’s wrong?”

"Just a — a contraction, keep driving."

"You’ll be okay," Isaac whispers, moving his hand to rub Scott’s stomach before dropping it so he can downshift when he gets to a red light. He taps his fingers against the gearshift and the steering wheel, sighing impatiently. When the light changes, Isaac shifts again and speeds through.

The whole way to the hospital, he talks to Scott as much as he can. He tries to keep his mate calm, running a hand along his stomach whenever he’s not shifting. Once they get to the hospital, Isaac pulls up in front of the ER, helping Scott out before going to park the Camaro. 

When Isaac goes back inside, he finds Scott sitting in a wheel chair near the entrance and rolls him toward the elevators, pushing the button. He pushes the beta inside once the doors are open, pushes another button to take them to the labor and delivery floor, and taps his foot against the wheel of Scott’s chair.

"Stuh — stop that." 

Isaac blinks and flushes, nodding as he stills his foot. The doors open again and the Alpha wheels Scott out into the hallway, panicking as he looks around for Melissa. He doesn’t see her, but hears a familiar voice saying her name and breathes a huge sigh of relief when he sees Jackson coming toward them.

"Hey, I didn’t expect to see you guys tonight," Jackson says and smiles at them both, his hands tucked into the pockets of his lab coat. "I take it the sex worked?" Scott nods his head and grits his teeth while Isaac blushes.

"Is my mom coming?"

Jackson nods and motions for Isaac to follow him down the hall. They wind up in a room and the Alpha explains that this is where Scott will come after his C-section. The beta nods his head and gropes for a hand, taking both Isaac and Jackson’s, squeezing painfully.

"We’ll get you in the OR when your mom gets here, okay? Then it won’t be much longer and you’ll both be proud parents." Jackson smiles, completely unfazed by Scott squeezing his hand and Isaac manages to smile back at him.

"Should I get in a gown?" Scott asks, huffing out a long breath as he looks at Jackson, who nods his head slowly. He goes to grab one from the closet and sets it down on the end of the bed before excusing himself.

Once he’s gone, Isaac helps Scott to his feet and strips his clothes off, setting them to the side. That’s the exact moment his water breaks and Scott lets out a noise that sounds relieved, which makes Isaac feel slightly better. Until he hears another pained sound come from his mate’s throat and he frowns.

"Let’s get you in the gown and back in the chair, okay?" Isaac whispers and Scott nods his head slowly, letting the Alpha put the thin material on his body. Then he’s taken back to the chair and Isaac goes to the door to call out, "I need someone to clean this mess up."

A nurse comes rushing in a moment later and she tends to the mess on the floor, smiling whenever she looks at Scott. “Your first?” she asks.

"My first, yes, but — ah, shit — not… not his," Scott answers. The nurse nods and cleans everything up before putting the dirty towels in the hamper in the corner. She throws the paper ones in the trash and walks to the door, stopping to press the heel of her hand against the nozzle of the dispenser on the wall.

As she works the foam into her skin, she turns to look at them and says, “Good luck and congratulations! If you need anything, just ask for Lisa.”

With that, Lisa walks out the door and Jackson comes back in with a team of nurses behind him. He introduces them all to Isaac and Scott, then explains the procedure though the Alpha already knows because he’s been through this before. What he wasn’t expecting was for Jackson to say he can’t be in the delivery room.

"What? No, I  _have_  to be in there.”

"Sorry, Isaac, but we all think it’s best for you to be out here. We don’t want you reacting to his pain and shifting on us," Jackson says and he frowns, touching Isaac’s shoulder. "It’s going to be fine, okay? I’m going to be in there and so is Melissa; we’re not going to let anything happen to him."

Isaac nods and turns to Scott, who’s looking at them both with a smile. He leans down and kisses his mate gently, brushing their noses together for a second before pulling back. When asked if he’s okay with that, Isaac nods his head and blows out a long breath, gripping the back of Scott’s wheelchair.

The next half an hour passes by in a blur. Melissa comes in, already dressed in her scrubs, and hugs Scott for as long as she can before being called to the OR. She leaves with a smile on her face and tears in her eyes, blowing kisses to both Scott and Isaac before disappearing into the hallway.

Jackson returns with one of the nurses — his name is Luke or something, Isaac wasn’t really paying attention — and they give Scott the medicine he needs. It’s a mix of two medicines: one that will knock him out during the procedure and another that will keep him from healing during the surgery. 

"I love you," Isaac says as he squeezes Scott’s hand, bringing it up to his lips to kiss across his mate’s knuckles, smiling. "I’ll be right outside, in the waiting room, okay?"

Scott nods and smiles weakly. “I love you too,” he whispers and then he’s being whisked off, the nurse pushing him toward the elevator while Jackson stays behind to talk to Isaac.

"Your pack can come down and sit in the waiting room outside of the OR. We’ll keep you updated and once we’ve gotten the baby out and Scott sewn up, we’ll be moving them both back up to this room. Then you can come see him," he says and hugs Isaac before going in the same direction as the nurse and Scott.

Once they’re gone, Isaac starts to panic and he makes his way down to the waiting room, where everyone in the pack is waiting. They all smile when he walks in and he tries to return it but his lips fall back down a second later. Laura stands and wraps her arms around Isaac, hugging him close before tugging him over to a bank of chairs.

A few minutes later, the silence is broken.

"I can’t believe I’m going to be an aunt again," Cora whispers and smiles, leaning her head against Boyd’s shoulder, hugging the little pink bear she’s holding to her chest.

"Did they say how long it’s going to take?" Derek asks, frowning.

Isaac shakes his head and sighs before mumbling, “I don’t know. A while?”

"It should only take half an hour to forty-five minutes," Laura replies and nods, ruffling the Alpha’s hair a little as she laughs. "Don’t worry, Is, he’s going to be fine."

Even though Isaac knows that everything is going to be fine, he’s still worried. He lets Laura hug and hold him, calming down as she runs one hand through his hair and the other down the middle of his back. The others talk around him and he listens to them, letting his eyes close as he relaxes completely, breathing in through his mouth.

It’s almost an hour later before anyone comes out to talk to them. 

When he hears Jackson say his name, Isaac opens his eyes and blinks at the other Alpha, his lip caught between his teeth, his body tense. He nods his head, unable to say anything, and lets his face ask the question his mouth can’t: Is Scott okay?

"Scott and Emma are both perfect," Jackson answers and smiles when the pack lets out a collective sigh of relief, then a laugh. "It took a bit longer because the medicine hadn’t taken full effect so we had to wait until Scott was completely knocked out."

Derek’s the first to speak and he asks, “When can we see them?”

"In a few minutes. Emma is being processed and we’re letting Scott come out of his haze before we let any of you see him."

"Thank you," Isaac whispers and gets up, folding Jackson into a hug. He reeks of blood and Scott and something knew but that smells so familiar. A mix of Isaac and Scott’s scent that makes his heart jump in his chest as he pulls back. 

Jackson nods and smiles. “She’s perfect, Isaac. Congratulations,” he says and claps Isaac on the shoulder before waving to the others. Then he’s gone, walking down the hall to do god knows what else, and Isaac turns to his pack.

Who all decided to bombard him with hugs at the same time. He laughs and hugs everyone back as much as he can before pulling back. That’s when he realizes there are tears streaming down his face and he laughs again, wiping them away with a hand.

"Who wants to go see Scott first?" Isaac asks as he drops his hand.

"I do," Laura volunteers, grinning sheepishly.

Derek and Peter speak up next while everyone else says they’ll come in later. The rest of the pack sits down while Isaac takes the other three down the hall, where they wait outside the room Scott’s going to be put in. While they wait, Isaac paces and looks up and down the hall, waiting for the nurses to bring his mate and their daughter.

After waiting fifteen minutes, Isaac spots Melissa carrying a pink bundle in her arms and sees Scott being wheeled behind her, both of them wearing smiles. Though Scott’s is weaker and that’s understandable; he has been through major surgery, after all.

"Congrats," Melissa says as she gets closer, holding the bundle out to Isaac. He takes it and peels back the blanket to reveal a small, light tan skinned baby whose squirming around and making fussing noises. "She weighs eight pounds and ten ounces, which is healthy for any baby, and is nineteen inches long."

The nurse rolls Scott into his room and they all file in behind him, Isaac’s eyes locked on their daughter. She has thick hair that’s dark, just like Scott’s, and he doesn’t need to see her eyes to know that they’re brown. The scent he smelled earlier was hers and Isaac’s heart jumps in his chest one more time.

Melissa kisses his cheek and squeezes him lightly before leaving the room, saying she has to do a few last minute things but that she’ll come back later. Isaac nods and Scott murmurs ‘okay’ as he sits on the edge of the bed he probably won’t use.

"She’s perfect, huh?" Scott asks, the smile on his face growing.

"Yeah, she is." As he speaks, Isaac looks up at Scott and walks over to join him on the mattress, moving their daughter so she’s laying on his forearms. "Emma Charlotte.. Does she have my last name or yours?"

Scott snorts and mumbles, “Yours, duh. Why would she need mine?”

"Can I see her?" Laura asks as she comes forward hesitantly. Isaac nods and lets his sister hold their daughter, though everything inside of him is saying he needs to keep her for just a little while longer. Once Emma is settled in Laura’s arms, she starts squirming and opens her eyes, staring up at her aunt. "Oh my god, she’s beautiful."

Derek and Peter come up behind Laura, standing on either side, both of them smiling. They murmur an agreement as they lift a hand, each of them touching the baby. Isaac watches and puts his arm around Scott’s shoulders, hugging him gently. The beta leans against the Alpha’s shoulder and yawns loudly. 

"I’m exhausted."

"You should rest," Isaac whispers and turns to kiss Scott’s forehead.

"Nah, I want the pack to see Emma before I go to sleep."

For the next ten minutes, Emma is shuffled between Derek, Laura, and Peter. She doesn’t cry or scream whenever someone new holds her and that makes Isaac thankful. Once his siblings and uncle are done, Scott takes Emma back and Isaac tells them to send the next three in.

Cora, Boyd, and Allison come in next.

"Lemme see my niece," Cora says as she comes over, setting the teddy bear down on the mattress beside the pillow. She carefully takes Emma from Scott and cradles her in the crook of her arm, cooing at how adorable she is. "I can’t wait to have pups of my own."

"Yeah, well, you better wait until you’re graduated, mated,  _and_  married.” Isaac glares at her, though it’s playful, and watches as Cora and Boyd bond over their niece. Boyd lets Emma’s hand wrap around the tip of his finger and smiles widely at her. Then he holds the newborn, rocking her gently as he sings to her in a low voice.

Then Allison holds her and there are tears in her eyes. “I got to watch you raise Annabel and now I get to watch you two with her,” she whispers and Isaac stands, moves over so he can kiss the top of Allison’s head. “I love you guys.”

"We love you too," the Alpha murmurs and runs a hand along her back slowly.

Finally, the rest of the pack comes in. Erica, Lydia, Ethan, Danny, and Aiden all pile into the room at once while Isaac takes Emma around to meet them all. He knows that he should still be wary of Aiden but he’s been in the pack for a couple of months and hasn’t done anything, so Isaac figures he’s okay.

When they leave, twenty minutes pass before someone knocks on the door. After Scott tells them to come in, in a tired voice, the door opens and Stiles walks through the door with a huge, yet tired smile on his face. “Got time for one more visitor?”

"Of course," Scott murmurs and smiles, sitting up in bed while shifting Emma around. Stiles comes over and sits on the edge of the mattress, bringing a hand up to touch the back of the newborn’s head.

"I won’t stay long. Jackson’s watching Johnathon while I say hello," Stiles says and shrugs, letting his fingertip glide down the side of Emma’s face. "She’s beautiful, guys."

Isaac smiles and sits on the end of the bed, watching them. “Thanks,” he whispers and stretches, yawning loudly as he does so. He knows that neither of them are long out of bed and wonders if they two of them can fit on the hospital mattress. Maybe not, so Isaac just decides to sleep in the chair while Scott and Emma sleep on the bed.

Stiles holds Emma for a few minutes and gives her back to Scott when she fusses. He kisses all three of their cheeks and promises to come by the house tomorrow to see everyone. Then he leaves, waving over his shoulder before the door shuts behind him.

"What a long day," Scott mumbles and motions to the beside table.

Isaac grabs one of the prepared bottles of milk and shakes it up before handing it over to his mate with a smile on his face. He watches Scott feed Emma like he’s done it all his life and slips out of his shoes before going to the closet to grab a few pillows and a blanket.

"I feel like I’m going to fall asleep any minute."

"Yeah," Isaac agrees and laughs, setting his pillows on the chair. "I feel the same way. After you’ve fed Emma, I can burp her so you can go ahead and get some sleep."

Scott gives Isaac a grateful smile and looks down at their daughter, whose eyes are closed as she sucks on the bottle eagerly. A few minutes later, she stops and the beta takes the bottle away before handing her over to Isaac, yawning loudly. “Goodnight,” he whispers to both of them and the Alpha smiles, whispering it back to him.

The first night with Emma goes by smoothly. After Isaac burps her, he lays the newborn on the mattress with Scott and watches as he curls around her protectively. He curls up in his own chair and falls asleep soon but wakes up when Melissa comes back, whispering to him that she got caught up. Isaac nods understandingly and tells her to come by the house tomorrow to see Emma. When she agrees, the Alpha falls back asleep and stays that way.

**xx**

Around three in the afternoon, Scott is discharged. He walks out of the hospital with Isaac, carrying Emma in her car seat. They go over to the Camaro and Scott glares at it, sighing as he puts their daughter in the backseat before climbing in beside her. Isaac smiles and shakes his head, promises that they’ll get the car from Melissa over the weekend.

They go home and everyone is waiting for them. Derek pulls Isaac to the side and asks if they can talk on the porch, to which the Alpha agrees. They go outside, leaving Scott to attend to Emma and the rest of the pack, and sit on the porch steps where Derek drops a bombshell.

"Do you really think babies born in incest relationships come out weird?"

"Um… I don’t know. I mean, I’ve never seen any  _real proof_  about that, just heard stories. So maybe you should ask Stiles or Jackson,” Isaac mutters and turns to look at his brother. “Why?”

Derek looks away and scratches the back of his neck. “I’m about… fifty percent sure that I’m pregnant,” he mumbles and looks back at Isaac, giving him an ‘oops’ kind of look.

"I thought you two were being careful."

"We were but there were a few times when… I was ready to go and we didn’t bother stopping to put a condom on."

Isaac sighs and puts an arm around Derek’s shoulders, squeezing him. “You should take a test and see. Then talk to Stiles and Jackson and Melissa to see what they think about the whole thing,” he mumbles and then smiles. “But I think you two will be fine.”

"Yeah?" Derek asks, his eyes lighting up slightly.

"Yeah, I do." With a smile, Isaac ruffles Derek’s hair and stands, taking him back inside. They join the pack in the living room and talk about everything. If they heard what the brothers were talking about (which is a distinct possibility), the no one mentions it but Peter does look at Isaac and Derek knowingly.

All in all, the first twenty four hours of new parenthood is great. Emma is a quiet baby that only cries when she needs something and she’s a happy baby who seems to love the attention her aunts and uncles give to her. Isaac couldn’t be happier with his little family and knows that before long he and Scott will be married. Which is the next chapter of his life he’s definitely looking forward to.


	29. Chapter 29

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There are new tattoos and newlyweds.

A month after Emma is born, Scott and Isaac decide to get tattoos. It was something the beta asked for nearly two weeks after giving birth and the Alpha told him they should wait a little longer. After they got to okay from Jackson that it was safe (and that it had been safe for a while), Isaac makes an appointment for the two of them.

The morning before, Isaac stops by Stiles’ house to grab the herb mixture he made for the two of them and to pick Annabel up for daycare. She’s three now and as talkative as ever, telling everyone about her little brother and sister whenever she gets the chance. Which is what she tells Isaac about on the way to her daycare center.

"You love Johnathon and Emma, huh?" Isaac asks as he parks in front of the building, turning to look at his daughter, who’s in the back seat, giggling.

"Uh-huh." Annabel nods and starts wiggling around, trying to unbuckle herself.

Isaac laughs and gets out of the Camaro, pulling his seat forward so he can get Annabel out of her car seat. He could have driven the more family-friendly car they traded Scott’s in for but he let his mate drive that, seeing as he’s got Emma. Plus, Isaac doesn’t think he can give his Camaro up easily.

Once Annabel is out of her seat and Isaac has her bag, he carries her inside. She talks about Johnathon the whole time and tells the Alpha that she helped feed him. It’s adorable, how she loves both of her siblings, and Isaac hopes that never changes.

"Alright, baby, you’ve gotta go to school."

"Okay, daddy." Annabel hugs Isaac’s neck tightly and squeals when he peppers her face with soft kisses before bumping their noses together. "Love you," she says, all smiles and quiet giggles.

"I love you too. Be good, okay?" Isaac smiles when his daughter nods and takes her inside, setting her down on the floor. She runs off, going to join a group of children playing in the corner, and the Alpha puts her bag on one of the hooks.

After waving goodbye to Annabel, Isaac walks out of the room and heads back out of the building, hopping in behind the wheel of his car once more. The interior _reeks_  of a bunch of different herbs that Stiles used to make the concoction that will slow their healing when they get tattoos, and so Isaac has to roll the windows down to let it out.

The garage is already opened by the time Isaac gets there and he parks between Boyd’s car and Erica’s, letting the engine idle for a moment before shutting it off. He gets out, hands stuffed into the front pocket of the hoodie he’s wearing, and he smiles as he walks into the garage, tipping his head toward their employees.

Boyd’s in the office, on the phone, and he gives Isaac a look when he comes in. “Mrs. Jones is accusing me of scratching her Bentley when it was in here last week,” he says, after putting a hand over the receiver, and goes back to arguing with the old woman.

While he listens to his beta argue with one of their customers, Isaac takes his hoodie off and grabs the jumpsuit hanging on a hook beside the desk. He slips into it and breathes in deeply, taking in the strong scent of motor oil that’s wafting throughout the place.

"Yes, we can fix the scratch for free. Uh-huh, we can change the oil too. No, no we — damn it," Boyd mumbles, pinching the bridge of his nose as he puts the receiver against his shoulder, growling quietly.

"Tell her we’ll change the oil in her car and buff out the scratch for free," Isaac says, zipping the front of his jumpsuit up with a grin. Boyd shoots him a grateful look and returns to the conversation when the customer comes back on the other line.

Erica calls his name and the Alpha walks out of the office, heading toward the car his beta is currently leaned over, her hands working frantically under the hood.

"What’s up?"

"I need your help," she mutters and looks up, giving him a grin. There’s grease smeared across her cheek and Isaac can’t help but smile back as he comes closer, rolling his sleeves up. "Can you just hold these wires for me? Yep, perfect."

The rest of the workday goes like it normally does and no cars are scratched, though Isaac is fairly certain that whoever nicked Mrs. Jones’ Bentley does  _not_  work in his garage. He listens to his employees complain about their mates or their home life, even contributes some of his own stories but they’re not complaints. More like bragging, as Erica puts it.

"So you and Scott are getting tattoos, huh?" Boyd asks as they’re closing up, the sound of jumpsuits unzipping fills the air. Isaac nods his head and slips out of his own suit, carelessly throwing it over one of the toolboxes. "What are you getting?"

"I don’t know what Scott is planning on but… I’m getting Emma’s name above Anna’s."

Boyd smiles and nods his head. “I thought about getting a tattoo once,” he murmurs.

"Please don’t tell me you’re going to get Cora’s name tattooed," Isaac groans, running a hand down his face and groaning louder when the beta laughs. "I just smeared grease all over my face, huh?"

"How’d you know?" Boyd grins and claps Isaac on the back before heading out, calling out a goodbye to the others that are left. He’s going to see Cora before her evening class and Isaac tries not to think about what they do in his house when he’s not there.

Erica and Isaac are the last ones out. They walk to their cars together, Erica taking a pack of cigarettes from her pocket and shaking one out, holding it out to Isaac. He shakes his head and leans against the side of the Camaro, stretching his arms above his head.

"So who’s watching the rugrat tonight?"

Isaac glares playfully. “Allison and Laura,” he answers and crosses his arms over his chest, licking his lips. He watches Erica light her cigarette, the tip of it glowing orange as she sucks on the filter. “We would have asked you two but Lydia’s got that dog and — “

"I get it," Erica interrupts, letting a string of smoke out of her mouth as she grins. "I hate that fucking dog but Lydia  _loves him_  so I deal with it. I tell you what, though, if the fucker bites me one more time I’m selling it on Craigslist.”

"That would be a _great_  foundation to start a marriage on.”

A snort escapes and Erica shrugs, flicking her thumb against the filter. “Yeah, well, it’s a better one than pretending that it doesn’t bother you when an eight pound Pomeranian bites your ankles,” she mutters and brings the cigarette back to her mouth, taking a long drag.

"Why don’t you just tell her it bugs you?" Isaac asks, quirking a brow.

"Because," Erica says after pulling the cigarette away and tipping her head back, blowing smoke toward the sky, "I love her and she loves that dog."

That’s understandable; if Scott did something that annoyed Isaac, he would probably put up with it for the sake of the relationship because he loved him that much. He nods his head and runs a hand through his hair, getting it greasy but he doesn’t care.

"Hey, so. Boyd is throwing me a party on the last night of my bachelorette-hood."

"Like a bachelorette party?"

Erica smiles and shakes her head slowly. “Not exactly, no. It’s for both genders and it’s mostly just a bunch of us getting together to drink and talk about how this is it for me,” she says.

"Is someone throwing Lydia one?" Isaac asks, grinning.

"Allison is. I think the pack is going to be split and half of you are going to be with me, while half of you are going to be with Lydia. Who said she was going to get a hot cop stripper and that hooked Danny."

Isaac laughs, loudly, and shakes his head. “So are you asking if I wanna come to your party instead of hers? Because, you know, hot cop strippers are kind of my thing,” he murmurs.

"Hey! You’ve known me longer, asshole." Erica playfully punches Isaac with the hand holding her cigarette and it burns a hole into the sleeve of his shirt. "Oops. Sorry about that."

"It’s fine." The Alpha waves a hand and smiles. "I’d love to come to yours. What about Scott?"

"I… think Lydia wants him to come to hers. I’ll ask, though."

"Yeah, ask and let me know. I mean, the wedding’s only a month away."

Erica bites her lip and brings her hand to her face, pressing her thumbnail against her mouth, smiling against it. “I know and it’s fucking insane but… I’ll be glad to be Mrs. Lydia Martin,” she says and Isaac grins brightly, which makes her blush. “Don’t you say a word.”

"I’m not going to say  _a word_ …”

"Don’t you say anything."

The grin on Isaac’s face spreads as he says, “You’re taking your mate’s last name, that’s fucking adorable.”

"I told you not to, Lahey!" Erica says but she’s laughing, her brown eyes shining. She’s happy and that’s a good thing; Isaac’s never seen her this way before and can’t wait until the wedding. It’s going to be a happy day for all of them… hopefully.

They stand around for a few more minutes and Isaac says he should go. Erica nods and drops her cigarette onto the ground, snuffing it out with the heel of her boot. Once the Alpha is in the car, he waves to his beta before backing out of his spot and then driving toward the edge of the lot.

Isaac gets home twenty minutes later, parking behind Allison’s car. He gets out and walks to the porch with his hands in his pockets, hoodie thrown over his shoulder. There are people talking loudly in the house and Isaac frowns as he goes inside, blinking when he sees Derek and Peter standing in the middle of everyone else.

"What’s going on?"

Everyone looks at him and Isaac can sense happiness in the air. Scott answers his question and says, “Derek just told us that he’s pregnant.”

Derek blushes and clears his throat. “I went to the doctor and got a blood test taken. You can’t trust those home pregnancy tests,” he says and shrugs, laughing when Scott lets him know that he found out he was pregnant with one of them.

"Congrats, man." Isaac grins and comes over, hugging his brother. Then he turns to Peter and hugs him, too, frowning when he notices how stiff the older wolf is. "Hey, aren’t you happy about this?"

"Of course I’m  _happy_  about it,” Peter murmurs, his eyes on Derek and a hand on his stomach, a soft smile playing at the corners of his lips. “I’m just worried.”

"Everything is going to be fine." Allison speaks up and smiles, showing off her dimples as she rocks Emma in her arms. The infant is awake, her brown eyes wide and moving around as she hears the different voices. "There’s a couple that comes into the cafe that are brother and sister. They’re mates and have two kids who are perfectly healthy," she informs them, nodding firmly.

Isaac motions toward his beta and smiles. “See? It’ll be fine,” he says, patting Derek and Peter on the shoulders at the same time. “We’ll celebrate when Scott and I get home.”

"Yeah, we should probably get going now." Scott sighs and moves over to Allison, kissing the top of Emma’s head, brushing their noses together before pulling back. "If you need anything, call me, okay? There are bottles in the fridge and if she gets grumpy, there’s a playlist of acoustic songs on my iPod that seem to calm her down. And there’s a — "

"Scott," Allison laughs, putting a hand on his cheek. "We’ve got this under control."

The beta nods and kisses Emma’s head again. “Okay, yeah,” he sighs and moves away, grabbing the hoodie off of Isaac’s shoulder before shrugging into it.

"Let us know if something happens," Isaac says as he moves to grab Scott’s jacket off the back of the couch, pulling it on. He doesn’t mind that the sleeves are a little short or that it’s tight around his torso because it’s warm and smells like Scott.

When Allison and Laura promise to call if anything happens, Isaac waves to everyone before leading Scott out of the house. The sun is hanging low in the sky and he knows that by the time they get to the tattoo parlor across town, it’ll be setting. 

Scott’s on edge, though, and Isaac can feel worry rolling off him in waves. So he wraps his arms around the beta’s waist and kisses his cheek, then along the side of his neck, nuzzling his face in the crook. “They’re going to be fine,” the Alpha whispers, pecking Scott’s jaw before pulling away, taking his mate’s hand.

"I know, I just hate leaving Emma."

"So do I but she’s with family, Scott, and she’ll be fine."

The beta makes a face and nods. “Okay, yeah,” he breathes and smiles, lacing his fingers with Isaac’s as they make their way to the Camaro. Scott gets in the passenger seat and the Alpha gets behind the wheel, staring the engine.

In the window, Laura appears holding Emma and she waves to the two of them. Scott makes a desperate noise in the back of his throat, something akin to a whine, and glances at Isaac, who shakes his head slowly. “I know it’s only been a month and you’re still feeling separation anxiety whenever you’re away from her but nothing is going to happen,” he says as he shifts gears, pulling out of the driveway and onto the road.

"Hmph."

"Scott," Isaac laughs, moving his hand off the gearshift and onto his mate’s thigh. "If I didn’t think Allison and Laura would do a good job of watching her, I wouldn’t let them."

"I know but — "

"You don’t want to leave her," the Alpha finishes for him, smiling when Scott nods. "And I understand that; I don’t want to leave her, either, but I know she’s in good hands."

Scott looks at Isaac and chews on his lower lip. “How is it so easy for you to leave her?”

"I never said it was easy, Scott. I just know that I  _have_  to leave her and that she’ll be okay. Plus, I’ve already gone through this once with Annabel, so I knew what to expect.”

"Lucky for you," Scott mumbles as he looks down at the hand on his thigh, running his fingers along Isaac’s knuckles. "I know that Laura and Allison are going to take care of her but it just feels wrong, you know? Like I should be the one there with her."

Isaac hums and nods as he drives, moving his hand away long enough to shift gears. “I know but it’ll get easier, believe me. It’s only been a month, so it’s still fresh and you’re still being protective and worried — that’s normal,” he says, patting Scott’s thigh lightly.

They change the subject and Scott talks about Derek being pregnant. He smiles and laughs, making Isaac’s heart jump in his chest and pound against his ribs. It’s weird, Scott says, that Derek is pregnant and that Peter’s the father but he’s come to see their relationship as normal so it won’t take him long to get used to the fact that there’s going to be a baby involved.

By the time they get to the tattoo parlor, the sun is dropping and the sky is painted a dark orange colour, with purples and reds mixed in. Isaac parks the car and gets out, leaning against the top of the Camaro as both he and Scott look at the sun, murmuring about how beautiful it is.

"Come on, let’s get inside." Isaac grabs the bag (that strongly resembles a lunch bag) from the backseat and wrinkles his nose at the smell coming off it. Then he shuts the door and leads Scott toward the building, opening the door for him before following his mate to the desk in the middle of the room.

A heavily tattooed woman with rings in her eyebrow, lip, and nose sits behind the desk. She looks up when she hears Scott clear his throat, a smile spreading across her face. The woman - whose name is Tracy - asks what she can do for them and Isaac says they have an appointment.

"With which artist?" Tracy asks, the pierced eyebrow quirked.

"I’m supposed to see Jeremy and Isaac," Scott nods his head to the Alpha, "is supposed to ask for Crystal."

Tracy nods and smiles as she stands, showing the two werewolves the tattoos that go all the way down to her wrists. “Jeremy is over there,” she points to an area in the corner where a big, muscled man is sitting, flipping through a book. “And Crystal is that way.” Tracy motions to the other side of the room, in the middle, to a woman with bright red hair and a hoop through her septum.

"Here." Isaac takes one of the bottles out and hands it to Scott, who takes it with a nod. "It’s going to hurt, you know," he murmurs, frowning a little.

"Isaac,  _please_. I carried a child who liked to play soccer with my bladder and drum on my rib cage — then I gave  _birth_  to said child. So I think I’m okay.” Scott grins and kisses Isaac gently before moving over to the corner, already chugging the “tea” — which is what Stiles likes to call it — on his way.

With a sigh, Isaac turns and starts to chug his own as he makes his way to where Crystal is sitting on the counter, her legs swinging back and forth. When he gets close enough, Isaac can see that her eyes are purple - a deep shade of it, too - and he chokes on the last sip from his bottle.

"Whoa," she says, laughing as she hops off the counter. "Easy, there."

Isaac manages to swallow the last bit and coughs. “M’fine,” he says, his voice croaking a little, and sets the bottle down onto the counter, along with the bag.

"It’s the eyes, hmm?" Crystal asks, quirking a brow and grinning when Isaac nods. "I get a lot of stares because of my eyes and people ask if I’m mystical because of the colour.  _Please_ ,” she snorts and motions for the Alpha to sit down. “What can I do for you?”

"Oh, um, I’d like to get a tattoo of my daughter’s name." Isaac peels his jacket off and lifts the sleeve of his t-shirt, showing off the name that’s already there. "I’d like it above this one," he says as he moves his fingertip along the letters inked there.

Crystal leans forward and nods, running her own finger along the space above Annabel’s name, humming as she pulls back. “Same font?” Isaac nods and smiles. “What’s the name you’re wanting to put there?”

Isaac tells her and spells it out, watching as the artist starts working up a sketch. It doesn’t take long, then again lettering never does, and when Crystal is done, she shows it to Isaac, waiting for his approval. When he nods, she excuses herself and goes to make the stencil, telling Isaac to take his shirt off while she’s gone.

When she returns, Isaac is down to a tank top and is stretched out on the table with his arm extended, ready for the application of the stencil. Crystal puts it on his skin and compliments him on the other tattoos as she gets everything together, turning the gun on.

"Do you want to make sure the potion worked?"

The Alpha frowns and nods, bringing his hand up to scratch his chest. Pain shoots through his body and stays there; the scratch remains, bringing a trickle of blood to the surface, and he nods his head to let Crystal know that he’s ready.

It takes twenty minutes for Isaac to get tattooed and Scott is halfway done when the Alpha is being cleaned up. Crystal shows him the tattoo in a mirror and smiles when he grins, brushing his fingers along the red, raising skin. 

"You like it, I see," Crystal murmurs as she goes to get a bandage to put over his arm.

"I love it," Isaac corrects, glancing over at where Scott is laying on a table in the corner. He doesn’t even feel Crystal bandage his tattoo or tape it up, doesn’t even notice she’s done. Not until she says he’s free to get up and go check on his mate.

Isaac thanks her and walks over to Scott, carrying his shirt and jacket in one hand. The beta looks up at him and smiles, holding his hand out for the Alpha to take. Their fingers lace together and Scott squeezes when the artist continues to colour in the smallest band on his bicep.

Another thirty minutes pass before they’re able to leave. Scott checks his tattoos out in the mirror and Isaac looks at them, running a finger along each band. He got three black bands on his bicep, the top one an inch wide and the other two considerably smaller. 

When Isaac asks what they’re for, Scott says: “You, Annabel, and Emma.”

They pay, thank the artists, and leave hand in hand. As soon as they’re outside, Isaac presses Scott up against the side of the car and kisses him deeply for a moment. He pulls away with a smile and nips at his mate’s lower lip before helping him into the car.

The pack is waiting anxiously for them to get home and Isaac shows off his tattoo, which doesn’t surprise anyone. When Scott shows everyone his and tells the explanation behind them, everyone dissolves into a a chorus of “aww” and “that’s so sweet”.

That night, when the potion wears off and they’re laying in bed, Isaac runs his fingertips across Scott’s tattoo while he blows him underneath the covers. He comes with a loud cry, letting the Alpha’s name fly off his lips, and slumps against the mattress when he’s spent. 

Scott returns the favor and Isaac growls, fingers twisted in his mate’s hair when his orgasm hits, his hips lifting off the bed. When he comes down and stops panting, the Alpha kisses the beta gently, licking into his mouth and moaning at the taste of himself. After they’ve both exhausted themselves, Isaac wraps his arms around Scott and holds him close, dozing off almost immediately.

**xx**

The night of Erica’s Not A Bachelorette Party comes and Isaac is getting ready in the bathroom while Scott sits on the bed with Emma laying on the mattress in front of him. He’s making noises and talking to her in the way that they all swore they wouldn’t but have anyway.

"Who’s such a cute baby? That’s right, you are," Scott murmurs and tickles her stomach, laughing when she makes a noise that’s somewhere between a giggle and a squeal.

Isaac rolls his eyes but smiles fondly, brushing the knots out of his hair before leaving the bathroom, sitting on the edge of the bed. “Your mom and Sheriff Stilinski are going to have a handful with three babies,” he mumbles and moves a hand to touch the back of Emma’s, smiling.

"They’ll be alright. Jonathon and Emma are good babies."

"Yeah, I know. I just hope they don’t go nuts." Isaac laughs and leans down to kiss Emma’s nose before pressing one to the side of Scott’s head. "I’m going to finish getting ready and then we’ll drop Emma off at your mom’s."

Scott hums and scoops their daughter up, cradling her against his chest. “I’ve been ready for an hour, so we’re just waiting on you. Aren’t we, baby?”

"Well, I’m sorry that I had to take a shower and scrub every inch of myself with that coarse soap because I had oil all over the place."

"Excuses, excuses," Scott murmurs, making a tsking sound.

A laugh bubbles up from Isaac’s throat as he grabs his boots, tugging them on. “I could have gone to Boyd’s covered in oil and dirt. That would have been great,” he says and laces his shoes before straightening up.

"Sure, Erica would have kicked your ass."

"Probably." Isaac shrugs and grabs his leather jacket, shrugging into it. He makes sure he’s got everything — phone, keys, wallet — before coming over to the bed, holding his arms out for the baby. "I’ll put her in the car seat and you can get your shoes on," he says.

While Scott makes a face and gets up to get his shoes, Isaac takes Emma downstairs. He buckles her into the seat and shushes her when she starts fussing, her face scrunching up in an adorable way that makes Isaac’s heart ache.

"What’s the matter, little lady bug?" Cora asks, pushing Isaac out of the way. She runs a fingertip along the baby’s cheek and she calms down immediately, making the beta grin. "I can calm your child down better than you can."

"Ha, ha." Isaac makes a face at her and goes to the kitchen to grab extra bottles and a can of formula, bringing it back before putting it in the diaper bag. He makes sure everything is in there — clothes, diapers, toys, her second favourite blanket, and everything else she might need — and zips it up.

Scott comes down the stairs and runs a hand through his hair. “Why can’t we have one huge party to celebrate Lydia and Erica’s last hurrah?”

"Because Lydia didn’t want one," Isaac says, shrugging as he slings the diaper bag over his shoulder, smiling as he makes his way over to the couch where Cora is sitting with Emma, who’s still in her car seat. "We should get going, though, before they get mad at us all for being late."

Cora, Scott, and Isaac make their way out of the house. Peter and Derek went to Boyd’s before them, to help him with a few last minute things, and Laura is going to come by after she drops Allison off at Lydia’s. The thought of having a night without Emma or Annabel makes Isaac worry but he knows that it’s good for them all to have a night to themselves.

Once everyone is in the car, Isaac starts the engine and backs out of the driveway, then heads toward Melissa’s house. He watches Scott in the rear view mirror and smiles, listening to him talk to their daughter about mundane things. It doesn’t take long for them to get to Mama McCall’s house and Isaac parks behind Jackson’s car. 

"Come on, let’s go in and see grandma." Scott unbuckles Emma’s seat and gets out, carrying it up to the porch with Isaac and Cora trailing behind.

The house is warm when they walk in and Isaac breathes a sigh of relief, smiling when he sees Sheriff Stilinski standing with Melissa. He nods his head to his soon-to-be-mother-in-law and the man that might have ended up being his father-in-law at one point. By the way things are going between the sheriff and Scott’s mom, Isaac thinks maybe it’ll happen one day in the future.

"There’s my baby," Melissa says, smiling brightly at Scott when he comes over. They hug and she turns her attention to Emma, leaning over the car seat to speak to her. 

Stiles and Jackson go to stand next to Sheriff Stilinski, who takes Johnathon from his son before cradling the infant to his chest. The whole house reeks of happiness and love and it’s so warm that Isaac’s chest swells and a stupid grin spreads across his face.

"Alright, we need to go," he says after a moment, sighing as he comes over to give Sheriff Stilinski a one-armed hug. "It was nice to see you, sir."

"Call me John, Isaac. After all, you’ve known me all your life."

Isaac grins and nods his head slowly. “Alright, John. I hope taking care of the kids isn’t too much for you two,” he says, chewing his lower lip worriedly.

"Please. You’re too young to remember but one time I had you, Stiles, Derek,  _and_  Laura under my roof at one time. If I can do that and still have my sanity, I’m sure taking care of three children with the help of Melissa will be no problem.” John laughs and claps Isaac on the back before he moves away.

Everyone says goodbye and Isaac kisses Emma’s forehead, then Annabel’s. He makes her promise to be good and help her Papa and Nana take care of the babies. She agrees and kisses her father’s cheek before running off to sit on the couch with Melissa, who’s holding Emma and humming to her.

Scott leaves with Stiles and Jackson, the three of them going one way while Isaac and Cora go the other, heading toward Boyd’s apartment. When they’re halfway there, the Alpha gets a text from Derek that asks where they are and he lets Cora reply while he drives.

It’s another ten minutes before they get there and Isaac parks beside Derek’s car. He gets out and goes upstairs with Cora, walking into the apartment where Boyd, Derek, Peter, Laura, and Aiden are all waiting. Boyd says that Erica’s running a little late and that surprises everyone, seeing as she’s almost always on time.

Everyone but Cora and Derek drink while they wait, though Isaac does notice how Boyd gives his baby sister sips from his drink. He doesn’t say anything and pretends that he didn’t see it as he gets up to get a second glass of coke, adding just a bit of whiskey to it.

Erica shows up fifteen minutes later and the party really starts. Though it’s not a “party” as much as it is a bunch of friends hanging out and drinking. They talk about Erica and how she was before she met Lydia, comparing it to how she is now.

The party goes until 2 AM and then Isaac says he should probably leave. He texts Melissa, asking her if everyone is okay at her house, and smiles when he gets a response. Then he drives home, completely sober thanks to his fast healing, and goes upstairs, where he finds Scott passed out on the bed.

Isaac smiles and strips down to nothing, then climbs underneath the sheets. He presses himself against his mate and kisses his neck before nuzzling against it, sighing. Within minutes, he’s out like a light and stays that way until Laura comes in their bedroom in the morning, announcing that it’s time for them to get ready.

**xx**

The morning of Erica and Lydia’s wedding is hectic. Half of the pack is at Isaac’s house with Erica while the rest are at Lydia’s house, helping her get ready. Isaac stays at home to help with his best friend and to keep her from calling the whole thing off. She keeps asking the Alpha why she’s doing this and Isaac answers with “because you love her” every time.

Once everyone is dressed and their makeup and hair has been done, Isaac tells them to go ahead to the church, says that he’ll drive Erica there. She shoots him a grateful look and begs him to help her outside, then into the car, because her dress weighs too much.

"I’m going to throw up," Erica grumbles, leaning back against the seat.

"No, you’re not."

"Yes I am. I’m going to throw up all over this dress."

Isaac snorts and starts the engine, backing out into the road as he says, “You’re going to be fine. Today is the day you marry the love of your life, so think about that.”

"I  _am_  thinking about that and it’s why I’m going to throw up.” 

For the rest of the ride, Isaac tells Erica things to calm her down. He talks her off the ledge a few more times and tells her that everything is going to be fine. That this is the day they’ve both been waiting for for years and that she’s not going to throw up, no matter what she thinks.

Erica’s calm by the time they get to the church and Isaac takes her inside, hurrying with her before Lydia can come out and see her. They go to a room that’s designated for them and he does a few last minute things, like touching her eye shadow up and helping Erica into her heels.

When the music starts playing, she pales. “I can’t,” she whispers, gripping Isaac’s forearms tightly, her eyes wide and misty. “I  _can’t_.”

"Remember what I said in the car?" Erica nods her head slowly and Isaac smiles. "Then you  _can_  do this and you’re going to… or Lydia is going to kill all of us,” he mumbles, smiling more when Erica gives him a weak laugh.

After taking another moment to relax, Erica says she’s ready. Isaac takes her to the door and they exit, her arm looped around his and a bouquet of flowers in the other hand. The church is filled with people and they all stand when the doors open, all of their eyes on Erica and Isaac as they stand there. 

Lydia is standing at the end of the aisle next to her father, a smile on her face. She’s wearing a more traditional wedding dress than Erica is but she looks just as beautiful. The tension in Erica’s body bleeds away when she sees her mate and Isaac breathes a sigh of relief as he walks her down the aisle.

When they get to the bottom, the preacher asks who’s giving both Lydia and Erica to each other. Mr. Martin speaks up for his daughter and Isaac speaks up for his friend, kissing her cheek before joining Scott on the front row, slipping an arm around his waist.

The ceremony is simple but amazing and Erica surprises everyone by saying her own vows — which make everyone (even Isaac) cry. The whole church erupts into shouts and whistles when the preacher says, “I now pronounce you married. You may kiss the bride.”

Erica moves forward and kisses Lydia gently, smiling against her lips. Isaac claps and whistles the loudest, grinning at his betas when they look at him. He’s still misty eyed from hearing Erica’s vows but he doesn’t care; it’s not like the pack’s never seen him cry before.

After the ceremony, the pack heads over to the reception. Scott and Isaac sit at a table together, Emma laying on the beta’s shoulder as they watch the others. Erica comes over and asks Isaac if he’d like to dance, then looks at Scott to make sure it’s okay.

Isaac stands and takes Erica’s hand, leading her to the dance floor. Once they stop and the music starts playing, the Alpha looks over to Lydia, smiling when he gets a nod from her, and puts his hands on Erica’s waist, moving to the beat with her.

"Thank you for giving me away," Erica murmurs as she wraps her arms around his neck, smiling brightly at him.

"That’s what friends do, right?"

Erica nods and puts her head on Isaac’s shoulder, her arms looping around his waist as they move together. It’s weird, to be dancing with someone who’s married, but Isaac knows that it doesn’t mean anything; it’s just an Alpha dancing with his beta.

The song changes and Scott cuts in, smiling at Erica before wrapping his arms around Isaac’s neck, pulling him down for a kiss. The Alpha smiles against his mate’s lips and holds him close, swaying to the music with him. After a moment, he pulls away and rests his forehead against Scott’s, sighing.

"We should plan our wedding next," the beta murmurs, smirking. "What do you say?"

"Can’t we just elope?"

Scott playfully smacks Isaac’s shoulder and mumbles, “No, we can’t.”

"I was  _kidding_.” Isaac laughs and pecks Scott’s lips. “We can plan our wedding whenever you want.”

"Mmm.. can we get married on Valentine’s Day?"

"That’s kind of cheesy…"

"I know but cheesy is my style," Scott points out and plays with Isaac’s hair. 

The Alpha hums and closes his eyes, moving slower. “We can get married then,” he whispers and kisses Scott slowly, nipping his lower lip before pulling back.

Scott smiles and says good, that he’s always wanted to get married then, and moves away after the song changes again so he can go check on Emma. The rest of the reception goes by quickly and everyone has a good time, which makes Isaac happy though nothing makes him happier than seeing Lydia and Erica dance together.

After the reception, the two brides get into a car and everyone waves to them, yelling ‘goodbye’ and ‘have a nice trip’ at them until the car is gone. Then they all go their separate ways, to do whatever, and Isaac ends up at home with Scott, the two of them lying in bed with Emma between them.


	30. Chapter 30

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The pack celebrates Christmas together, Erica and Lydia have an announcement, and the big day finally arrives.

Isaac decides to  _officially_  asks Scott to marry him on Christmas morning.

The ring box is wrapped in festive, holiday wrapping and is stuffed deep into Scott’s stocking, which is hanging among the others along the fireplace. No one knows what Isaac has in mind for his mate - or at least he doesn’t  _think_  they know - and so he has to be sneaky about the whole thing. Which means waiting until the whole house is sound asleep before creeping downstairs to stick the box in his mate’s stocking. Then he goes back to bed and falls asleep curled around Scott, staying that way until the morning.

Annabel comes into their room just as sunlight pours through the curtains and she jumps onto the bed, announcing that it was Christmas. She throws herself down on top of Isaac and giggles when he growls at her, nuzzling her face against his chest.

"Wake up, Scott," the Alpha yawns, nudging his mate lightly.

Scott makes a noise and waves him away. “Don’  _wanna_ ,” he mutters.

With a snort, Isaac collects Annabel and carries her out of the room. They head down to the nursery, where Emma is starting to stir in her crib, and the Alpha flicks the light on. Inside the crib, his infant daughter squirms around but she doesn’t cry; instead, she makes soft cooing noises that never cease to make Isaac smile.

"Morning baaaaaby," Annabel whispers, squirming around in Isaac’s arms until he sets her down. The toddler walks over to her baby sister’s crib and puts her hands through the bars, touching the infant’s hand lightly. "It’s  _Cwhistmas_.”

Isaac watches his children, a warm feeling spreading across his chest as he leans down to peck the top of Annabel’s head. “Lemme get Emma changed and then we’ll go get Daddy Scott out of bed, okay?”

"Kay, daddy." With a giggle, Annabel retreats from the crib and goes to sit in the rocking chair in the corner of the room. She has a bit of a time trying to get up onto the seat, so Isaac goes to help her, laughing when she thanks him. Then he goes back to the crib and leans down, carefully scooping Emma up into his arms.

The infant coos and looks up at Isaac, her chubby hands reaching out for his face.

"Good morning, cutie." Isaac laughs and leans down to brush their noses together, letting Emma pull on his hair and his ears as he takes her over to the changing table. As he puts her in a fresh diaper and then the white-and-red dress Lydia bought for her, the Alpha listens to the rest of the house, smiling when he hears them wake up.

Derek is the first to get up, groaning and complaining about being pregnant though he’s only a couple of months along, and Isaac listens to his brother’s footsteps. They stop just outside of the nursery and the beta yawns loudly, sticking his head into the room, his hair going a dozen different ways.

"You’re up early," Derek points out, sighing as he leans against the door frame.

Isaac nods his head toward Annabel and laughs, “She woke us up.”

"Ah." With a sleepy smile, Derek comes into the room and scoops his niece off the rocking chair, tickling her belly. He laughs when she squirms around in his arms and presses a kiss to the tip of her nose, settling her on his hip.

"And… Emma is all dressed." Isaac stands his daughter up on the changing table, his hands holding onto hers, and smiles when she makes another cooing noise. "Isn’t she cute?"

"Very," Derek agrees and hitches Annabel higher onto his hip. "I’m going to steal this child and see if she can get Peter to get up because he’s being a grouch. Is that okay?"

The Alpha hums in agreement and lifts Emma up, settling her on his side. She tugs on his hair hard enough to make him wince and he sucks in a sharp breath, patting her back as he walks out of the room, flicking the light off as an afterthought. Then he carries Emma down to the master bedroom, where Scott is sprawled out on the middle of the bed, his face pressed against the pillows.

"Go wake up daddy," Isaac whispers as he comes closer to the bed. He sets Emma down on the mattress beside Scott’s head, watching as she puts her hands in his hair. After a couple of tugs, the beta grumbles and carefully turns his head to look at his daughter, then Isaac.

"You’re  _awful_.”

"Mmm, but you  _love me_.”

Scott sighs and takes Emma’s hands away from his hair before sitting up. “You had to use the power of this cute child against me, huh? Your daddy is an evil man,” he mutters to their daughter as he picks her up, peppering her face with small kisses.

"Uh-huh, sure I am." Isaac winks and goes to grab a pair of pajama pants, slipping them on quickly before picking up a pair of Scott’s. He tosses them onto the bed, yawning loudly as he stretches, watching his mate maneuver with Emma in his arms. "I can take her, you know," he says, shrugging lightly.

"I’ve got it." With a cocky grin, Scott keeps Emma in one arm and uses the other to pull his pajamas on, wiggling his hips against the mattress. He finally gets them up, the grin on his face spreading wider, and stands with Emma against his chest.

Once they’re both dress — well, halfway anyway — and the house is starting to wake up, Isaac suggests that they go downstairs to start the coffee pot. Scott’s stomach growls in response and he laughs, nodding as he follows the Alpha out of the room.

No one is downstairs when they get there but Isaac knows that soon the entire house is going to be filled with people. He told everyone in the pack, along with Jackson and Stiles, that they could come over early in the morning to spend Christmas together as a family. When the Alpha invited Stiles, he said that he probably shouldn’t come seeing as they weren’t _pack_ anymore and it took Isaac saying that they were still _family_ to get him to agree to come.

Scott follows Isaac into the kitchen and goes to make a bottle for Emma. While his mate does that, the Alpha gets the coffee ready to go and turns the maker on, yawning loudly. Upstairs, he can hear everyone moving around; clothes shuffle, Annabel squeals Peter’s name and tells him, in her 3 year old vernacular, to get up.

By the time the coffee is ready, everyone is shuffling down the stairs. Cora comes into the kitchen, squealing about how adorable Emma looks in her outfit, and Derek trails behind her with Annabel in his arms. The toddler is wearing a dress similar to her sister’s and Isaac thinks she looks adorable, even if he was against the matching outfits when Lydia brought them up.

"You made coffee," Cora sighs, leaning her cheek against Isaac’s bicep. "I love you."

"Just for the coffee, huh?" When Isaac says this, Cora hums and grabs the cup that he’d been making for himself, grinning as she takes a sip. "Brat," he mumbles.

Cora acts like she didn’t hear him and goes to sit at the table, her legs tucked underneath her body as she keeps sipping away at her coffee. She talks to Scott and Emma while Isaac makes coffee for everyone else, even setting a cup of it in front of his mate before finally fixing his own.

"When is everyone else getting here?" Peter asks from the counter, where he’s sitting with his coffee mug cupped between his hands. Steam rolls off the top of it and he blows it away, though none of them need to let it cool down before they drink it.

"Soon, I hope," Derek sighs, sitting at the table with Annabel on his lap. She’s leaning back against his chest, sucking on her thumb, and the beta looks exhausted. Pregnancy is hitting him hard, Isaac realizes, and he hopes that his brother will be okay for the next couple of months.

Once his coffee is made, Isaac leans against the counter and takes a sip. “I told everyone to get here around eight and it’s quarter ‘til now,” he answers, smiling at his family over the top of his mug.

Everyone settles into an easy conversation. Scott feeds Emma until there’s no milk left in her bottle and then hands her over to Cora before going to get Annabel something to eat. He makes a bowl of cereal for her and gets a sippy cup full of juice before returning back to the table, letting Derek feed her.

Isaac watches and listens to everyone, downing his coffee before setting the empty mug in the sink. He washes it out a little, just so what’s left at the bottom won’t harden, and licks his lips, perking up when he hears someone knocking on the door. “I’ll get it,” he says, motioning for everyone to stay put.

When he opens the door, Stiles is standing on the porch with a big smile on his face. Jackson comes up behind him, carrying their son’s car seat, and they come into the house when the Alpha ushers them in, shutting the door behind them. Almost as soon as they’re stripped of their coats, Annabel comes out of the kitchen and latches onto Jackson’s leg.

"Merry Christmas," Jackson says, ruffling her hair a little with a laugh.

Stiles takes Johnathon out of his car seat and smiles. “Melissa and Dad should be over soon,” he said and unzipped the infant’s jacket before taking it off of him.

"Boyd, Erica, Lydia, Laura, and Allison are on their way, too!" Cora shouts from the kitchen.

"Thanks for the update," Isaac mumbles and motions toward the kitchen, smiling. He tells the other two that he made coffee and that everyone is in there, waiting for the last few members of the pack t come over, and Stiles leads the way.

 

**xx**

It’s another twenty minutes before everyone is at Isaac’s house. Once everyone is there and they’ve all had coffee, Isaac tells them that they can move into the living room to open presents, which makes Annabel shout in excitement.

Everyone finds a seat and then gifts are being passed out; paper is thrown all over the place, cries of ‘ooh’ and ‘awesome’ are shouted. Isaac goes to grab Scott’s stocking and hands it to him before clearing his throat, which is apparently the universal sign for ‘shut up, this is important’ because every single person falls silent.

Scott raises an eyebrow and sticks his hand down into the stocking before bringing the box out, his eyes narrowed at Isaac. When he asks what the hell’s going on, the Alpha tells him to open the box and find out, holding his breath as his mate does so.

"Is…" Scott breathes when he sees the band. It’s simple and thin, made of silver with a triskele engraved on the inside. Isaac figured that he would go the more simple route instead of the traditional, not really seeing the point in giving Scott an engagement ring that a man might give his to his girlfriend.

The pack gasps collectively and Isaac blushes, taking the box from Scott’s hands. He clears his throat, drops down onto one knee and he can  _hear_  a voice in the back of his mind telling him that he’s being cheesy but he doesn’t care; Scott brings that out in him, apparently.

"I love you," is the first thing out of his mouth and that gets an ‘aw’ from a few people, which only makes the colour in Isaac’s cheeks deepen. God, he’s so nervous and while he knows that Scott is going to say yes, there’s still a nagging feeling in the back of his head that tells him the beta could do a hell of a lot better.

Isaac shoves those thoughts away and gets on with his proposal.

"We’ve done this whole thing backwards, you know? I mean, we got pregnant before we even got married, go mated not long after  _meeting each other,_  and that’s not what normal people usually do.” Isaac pauses, laughing. “But we’re not normal, are we?”

Scott shakes his head, smiling.

"But I’m finally doing the normal thing. I should have done this when you told me you were pregnant but a thousand things were going on and my mind was too distracted."

"I get it," Scott whispers, putting his hand on Isaac’s and squeezing.

The Alpha smiles and kisses the back of his mate’s hand. “You have no idea how much I love you and _how badly_  I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Before you, I thought that I would never be happy again and then you came into my life, you showed me that I  _can_  have happiness and love,” he whispers, his voice cracking slightly.

"Scott McCall," Isaac says, speaking slowly, "will you marry me and make me the happiest man in the entire universe?"

The pack is silent behind them, though Isaac can hear someone sniffling.

It doesn’t take Scott long to answer and he nods his head quickly as he whispers, “Of course.”

When Isaac gets his answer, his heart thumps wildly behind his ribs. He can’t stop himself from smiling like an idiot as he leans in to kiss Scott over and over, pecking his lips several times before pulling back. Then he’s sliding the ring onto his mate’s finger and once it’s on, the pack erupts into applause.

"About damn  _time_  you asked him to marry you,” Laura mumbles from her spot on the floor, where she’s curled up against Allison, a huge smile on her face.

Melissa hums in agreement, her hands covering her mouth but Isaac can still see her smile poking out around the sides of her fingers. “I’m so happy for both of you,” she says and sighs happily, leaning her head onto John’s shoulder.

"So," Lydia chimes in, grinning at the two of them, "when are we going to start with the wedding plans?"

“ _We_?” Isaac questions, quirking a brow at his beta.

When he says that, Lydia snorts. “I  _am_ going to be helping you two knuckleheads with your wedding,” she says in a matter-of-fact voice, her arms crossed over her chest. Isaac can’t say no to her (and is starting to think that she’s poisoning all of them somehow because  _no one_ can say no to Lydia), so he just shrugs his shoulders and goes with it.

Then everyone continues opening their presents and Isaac cuddles with Scott in the chair. He kisses his mate over and over, says ‘I love you’ in between in a quiet whisper, though in a house full of werewolves there’s no point in  _being quiet_. Still, everyone is focused on their gifts and the children that no one pays attention to the Alpha snuggling and basically smothering Scott with kisses.

After a few hours of sitting around, talking and assembling things for the kids, Isaac and Derek head into the kitchen with Allison and Laura. They’ve been enlisted to help with Christmas dinner and even though the Alpha is  _sure_  that he and Derek are going to be kicked out, he enjoys doing things with his siblings and pack members.

 

**xx**

Allison and Laura  _don’t_  kick either of the men out of the kitchen, not even when Derek almost screws up their mother’s famous stuffing recipe, and once the food is done, everyone is called to the dining room. It’s nice, spending time with his extended family, though it reminds Isaac of all the holiday celebrations they had with their parents a long time ago.

There’s no time to dwell on the past, though, because soon everyone is eating and laughing, talking with one another about various subjects. One that comes up quite frequently is Scott and Isaac’s wedding, which seems to be an event everyone wants to participate in, and the Alpha turns red the whole time as he listens to Laura talk about where they’re going on their honeymoon.

"We’re coming back here," Isaac mutters as he finishes his second slice of pie. He’s stuffed, so he pushes the plate away from him with a groan, his hand finding Scott’s underneath the table. Their fingers lace together and he smiles at his mate, brushing his thumb along the ring on his finger.

Erica scoffs, “You  _have_  to go somewhere.”

"No, we really don’t," Isaac mutters.

"Come on, Isaac," Lydia sighs, leaning her elbow onto the table as she cups her jaw. Isaac wants to point out how  _impolite_  that is but knows that she’ll throw something at him or  _at least_  make a face. “Even Erica and I went on a honeymoon.”

"Where’d you two go, anyway?" Scott asks, quirking a brow as he looks between Erica and Lydia.

"We… went to Seattle," Erica answers, speaking slowly. When the pack glares at her, she turns pink and covers her face with one hand, groaning. "This is a conversation that we were hoping to have when we got  _official_  news…”

Isaac straightens up in his seat and quirks a brow. “Official news about what?”

"There’s a center up there that specializes in werewolf adoption," Lydia answers, putting her hand on Erica’s once it’s back on the table. She laces their fingers together and laughs, licking her lips quickly, eyes settling on Isaac. "We went there to talk to this woman, Joyce, about becoming parents."

"Holy  _shit_ ,” Isaac breathes, his eyes widening as he grins. “You two are gonna have a cub?”

A laugh bubbles up from Lydia’s throat and she shakes her head. “I wouldn’t say that ‘have’ is the term to use but… yes, we’re going to adopt,” she answers, her heart pounding so hard that Isaac can hear it as clearly as his own.

"I didn’t even know you two wanted children," Boyd speaks up and Erica smacks him on the shoulder hard enough to make him mumble ‘ow’ around the bite of pie he’d shoved into his mouth a few seconds earlier.

"Of course we want kids, idiot." Shaking her head, Erica rolls her eyes and turns to look at Isaac, which is strange how she always turns to her Alpha before speaking. "We’re on the waiting list for this pair of cubs — they’re twins — that got abandoned by their omega mother," she explains, shrugging.

Isaac sighs. He’s heard about werewolves getting pregnant against their own will and then leaving the babies in the woods or on someone’s doorstep. In a way, it’s good for people like Erica and Lydia who  _can’t_ have children of their own but it’s terrible for not only the mother of the cubs but the children themselves.

"Well," he sighs, smiling as he reaches over to put his hand on top of theirs, "I hope you guys get them. If anyone deserves to be parents, it’s you two."

Everyone hums in agreement and then there are questions thrown out. Lydia and Erica answer them the best they can, talking animatedly about the cubs they’re interested in adopting, and Isaac can’t stop smiling the entire time.

Before they know it, it’s getting late. Isaac says goodbye to everyone and gives them hugs, pecks on the cheeks before taking Emma and Annabel upstairs to their rooms. The infant is already asleep against his shoulder and the toddler isn’t far behind her. Once Isaac lays each of them down in their beds, they’re out like a light, and he chuckles, kissing the tops of their heads.

The house goes from being filled with the pack to being almost empty; Cora goes to spend the night at Boyd’s and Derek goes upstairs with Peter, where they stay in their bedroom all night to give Scott and Isaac “privacy”. Which is dumb because anything they do, the others will be able to hear them, but it is the though that counts.

Scott’s curled up on the couch with one of the books his mother bought him, yawning loudly as he stretches out, his ring shining in the light coming down from the chandelier. He smiles at Isaac when the Alpha comes into the room and motions for him to come over, to join the beta on the couch.

"I love you," Isaac sighs once he’s laying on top of Scott, his face pressed against the crook of his mate’s neck. He’s exhausted and could very well pass out right there, with Scott’s scent filling his nostrils and a hand moving slowly through his hair.

"I love you too. Today was nice." A hum from Isaac. "We only have a few months to plan our wedding, you know," Scott murmurs, his fingers carding through Isaac’s curls.

Yeah, Isaac wants to say, he knows that there’s only two months until Valentine’s Day. He wants to say that he knows they only have a little bit of time to throw everything together but knows that with the pack’s help, they’ll be able to do everything. But he doesn’t; Isaac just nods his head and yawns quietly.

"Let’s go to bed."

"Gotta put stuff up first," Isaac grumbles and pushes away from Scott with a heavy, exaggerated sigh. He kisses his mate lightly, pats his hip and tells him to go upstairs, that he’ll be up in a couple of minutes. Once Scott is gone, he goes into the kitchen and makes sure that all the perishable food is in the fridge and that whatever else that’s safe to leave out is at least covered up.

Then Isaac turns all the lights off, makes sure the door is locked, and heads upstairs where he finds Scott sprawled out on the mattress, wearing nothing but a bow. Which is strategically placed over his crotch and Isaac chokes on the air in his throat when he sees his mate, his whole body twitching in response.

"Merry Christmas," Scott says, giving Isaac a cheeky grin.

The Alpha laughs, throwing his head back as the noise escapes his throat, and shuts the door before flicking the light off. He stalks toward the bed then, like Scott is his prey and he’s an _actual_  wolf, and pounces, chuckling when the beta squeals in delight.

They laugh together and Isaac presses kisses all over Scott’s face, brushing their noses together before getting out of his clothes. He throws them onto the floor as he sits up on his knees, moving his hands down to undo the bow covering Scott’s cock. Isaac takes his time, purposely teasing his mate, and laughs when the beta tells him to  _hurry up_.

"Impatient," he sighs but tugs the bow off before throwing it onto the floor somewhere. He leans down before Scott can say a word, taking his cock all the way and sucking slowly, his fingers moving along the beta’s thighs. Isaac’s fingertips dig into Scott’s muscle as he deepthroats his cock, choking a little when his mate decides to  _thrust_ against his mouth.

When he pulls off, Isaac moves to grab the lube from the nightstand and slicks his fingers up, slipping two into Scott almost immediately. He works them in and out, sucks marks all along his mate’s body and watches with a morbid fascination as they disappear. That just makes him bite and suck more, turning Scott’s tan skin an even deeper colour before it evens back out.

Scott groans, tugging Isaac’s hair as he fucks back against the Alpha’s hand and gasps whenever Isaac presses against his prostate. Before long, he’s begging for something bigger and the Alpha laughs, dragging his fingers out as he slicks his cock up with the other hand. In the back of his mind, Isaac knows they should be careful if they don’t want another baby so soon, but he can’t be bothered to put a condom on.

Once his fingers are out, Isaac barely gives Scott any time to whimper before slamming his cock in, going all the way to the hilt in one go. He groans, dropping his head down so he can pepper the side of Scott’s neck with soft kisses, and starts to move his hips slowly. They work together, both falling into a rhythm that has them gasping, and Isaac grips Scott’s hips so tightly that if he were still human, there would be bruises there in the morning.

"Love you," Scott gasps, one of his hands buried in Isaac’s hair and the other resting on his ass, fingers squeezing his cheek roughly. He hooks his calves over the back of the Alpha’s thighs and holds onto him tightly, throwing his head back each time Isaac angles his hips, hitting his prostate.

Isaac laughs breathlessly, his shoulders bunching as he pushes himself up, hands moving to the mattress on either side of Scott’s head. “I love you too,” he replies, his voice just barely above a whisper as he starts thrusting in and out harder than before.

The bed creaks underneath their weight and from how hard they’re both moving. The room is stuffy, despite the chilly temperatures outside, and Isaac can feel sweat dripping down his brow, can feel it causing his hair to stick to his scalp. He only increases his efforts, dropping his head down to suck and bite and  _lick_ at Scott’s nipples, growling at the taste of his mate’s skin and sweat on his lips and tongue.

Scott manages to get a hand between them, fingers wrapping around his cock before he’s jerking himself off quickly and in time with Isaac’s thrusts. It doesn’t take long for him to come and when he does, his muscles clench around the cock inside of him, his hips stuttering forward as he lets out a strangled cry.

And thank  _god_  their children are sound sleepers. Isaac’s sure that they would be awake, crying for their parents, and he just hopes that they stay that way for the foreseeable future.

"Fuck, baby," Isaac growls, moving up so his forehead is pressed against Scott’s throat. He can hear - and  _feel_  - how hard the beta is breathing, can feel their sweat mingling on the younger man’s skin, and can still feel Scott’s muscles fluttering around his cock.

With half a dozen more thrusts, Isaac comes. He buries his cock into Scott, mouth sealed around a spot just above his pulse, and his fingers tangled in the sheets. It’s so good - but then, when  _isn’t it_? - that Isaac lets out a noise that sounds like a shuddering sob. His hips eventually slow down when his orgasm is over and he keeps his cock inside of Scott until he starts to soften, then he pulls out slowly.

Isaac collapses on the bed beside Scott, making sure to lay on his back and not his stomach, and they both catch their breath. Then the beta laughs, running a hand through his hair before pecking the Alpha on the lips and excusing himself.

Scott goes to the en suite bathroom and stays in there for a few minutes. Isaac can hear the water running, can hear him pissing a second later, and stares at the ceiling as he waits. Five minutes later, the beta returns wearing a pair of the Alpha’s boxers and he slides into bed beside him, yawning loudly.

"Goodnight," he whispers and Isaac smiles, tugging the sheets over their bodies. He repeats the words, mumbling them against Scott’s temple, and holds onto him before dozing off.

For the next month and a half, Isaac and Scott plan their wedding — with the pack’s help, of course, because they couldn’t do it without them. They all decide, as a whole, that a small and simple ceremony would be best for them, seeing as they’re strapped for cash and since it’s not about how fancy everything is. It’s just about Isaac and Scott  _finally_  saying “I do”.

Everything gets finalized two weeks before the wedding itself and Isaac  _swears_  up and down that he’s never helping plan another wedding as long as he lives. Though when Cora brings up her wedding, which won’t be for a couple of years, the Alpha crumbles when she pouts at him and says  _please_.

**xx**

"It’s tradition," Laura says, with her hands planted firmly on her hips. Her lips are pursed into a hard line and Isaac _whines_ because she’s taking his mate away from him. "It’s only for a night, ya big baby, so calm down. You’ll see him in twenty four hours, I promise."

Allison hums in agreement as she comes down the stairs with a bag thrown over her shoulder and her hair pinned into a messy bun on top of her head. “I promise we’ll take good care of your fiance, don’t worry,” she says, patting Isaac’s shoulder before standing up on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek.

"This is  _awful_. Who made this tradition anyway?” Isaac grumbles.

"Someone a long, long time ago." With a smile, Laura comes over and wraps her brother up in her arms, squeezing him so tight that his ribs hurt for half a second. "I love you," she says as she pulls away, patting his cheeks lightly.

"Then you’d let Scott  _stay here_.”

"No can do, honey." Laura gives him a grin and takes the bag from Allison before pecking her lips lightly, humming against them. Before they can start making out completely, Isaac groans and covers his face, mumbling something about  _going_  if they’re gonna  _go._

Once his big sister is out of the house, Isaac sighs. He _guesses_  he can go a night without Scott, especially since this time tomorrow they’ll be married, and his stomach twists into painful knots. Allison hangs back, her hands shoved deep into the pockets of the hoodie she’s wearing, which is one of Laura’s, and she smiles at Isaac.

"It’ll be okay," she says, nudging his elbow with hers.

"Whatever you say." Isaac laughs quietly and wraps his arm around Allison’s shoulders, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. In the past couple of months, she’s become more like a sister to him rather than just a  _pack member_  and he can’t wait until she’s _actually_  his sister. Well, sister in law anyway.

Allison laughs and squeezes him. “We’ve gotta go,” she says and pulls away before running to the door, the heels of her boots clacking against the wood. “Scott, come on!”

A few minutes later, Scott comes down the stairs with a garment bag in his hands. He’s wearing one of Isaac’s shirts, along with a beanie of his, and grins at the Alpha as he stops at the bottom of the stairs. “I stole some of your things,” he says, shrugging.

"I can see that," Isaac murmurs, laughing quietly. He comes over to wrap his arms around the beta’s shoulders, peppering his face with kisses. "I love you and don’t let them do anything crazy with you, okay?"

"Nothing crazy, got it." Scott smiles and kisses Isaac’s lips before pulling away. "And I love you too, Isaac. I’ll see you bright and early in the morning. Well… kind of; ten o’clock isn’t  _exactly_  bright and early, is it?”

The Alpha shakes his head, chuckling. “Not really but I’ll see you then,” he agrees and leans down for one more kiss, which is longer than the others, and Allison clears her throat from the doorway, her foot tapping against the floor impatiently.

"I’m coming, calm down." With a chuckle, Scott rolls his eyes and touches the side of Isaac’s face before kissing his chin lightly. He joins Allison at the door, both of them waving back at the Alpha before disappearing and leaving Isaac alone.

Well, he’s not  _alone_. He has Derek and Peter to keep him company, though Isaac has no plans to do anything but take a shower and sleep so tomorrow will come just a little faster. He knows that he’s going to be a thousand times more nervous when he’s standing in the church, waiting for Scott to walk down the aisle, and tries not to think about it.

The sound of Allison’s car starting up in the driveway pulls Isaac from his thoughts and he goes over to the open door, waving to them as they drive away. He shuts the door then, leaning back against it with a sigh, listening to just how  _quiet_  the house is. Emma is at Melissa’s for the night and Annabel is with Stiles and Jackson.

Isaac actually wishes he had his children there to distract him. He’ll just have to do that himself, so he pushes off the door before walking up the stairs, stopping mid step when he hears a bed squeaking down the hall.

"Oh my  _god_ , really?”

The squeaking stops, then Peter calls out, “Sorry!”

"Don’t be, I’ll just go out and pretend to get drunk," Isaac calls back, laughing when both Peter and Derek apologize at the same time. He rolls his eyes and goes downstairs again, heading toward the door before stopping to pull his shoes on.

Isaac ignores the noises coming from upstairs and grabs his keys, then his jacket. He shrugs into the latter as he steps out of the house, breathing in the chilly winter air. It’s the perfect time to be getting married, Isaac thinks as he makes his way to the Camaro.

Once he’s inside the car, Isaac stares at the steering wheel. Where the hell is he going to go now? Everyone he knows is either at work or doing last minute things for the wedding and he can’t go to Allison’s to see Scott because he’s been  _banned_.

After a few minutes of just sitting there, Isaac decides to go to Laura’s work. She’s not there, of course, but he can at least go in and have something to drink. Or not, depending on how he feels when he gets there, and he starts the engine before leaving the house.

The bar is packed with people when Isaac gets there and he parks on the other side of the street before walking across to the building, jogging to get out of the way of a string of cars that are going down the road. He walks into the place, which is filled with a bunch of nerd memorabilia, and breathes in deeply, taking in the scent of alcohol.

"Isaac!" Someone calls from the bar and the Alpha heads over, recognizing a woman that works on the same shift as Laura. He usually talks to her on the rare occasion he comes into the bar and smiles, glad to see a familiar face.

The woman, whose name is Marin, smiles brightly at him. “What are you doing here?”

"There are werewolves having sex at my house," Isaac explains as he takes a seat on the empty stool and sighs, resting his arms on the bar.

"Peter and Derek?" Marin asks, quirking a brow until Isaac nods and then she laughs, nodding her head quickly. "Laura used to complain about them all the time," she mumbles.

Isaac laughs and looks at a blackboard on the wall that lists drink specials. “Yeah, well, she’s lucky that she moved out and doesn’t have to listen to it. I swear, male werewolves are a hundred times hornier when they’re pregnant,” he mutters.

"Amen. A male in my pack got pregnant and I  _swear_  he never left his mate alone. They were constantly fucking.”

"Sounds like Peter and Derek… also like Scott and I."

"Speaking of," Marin says as she leans close, her head cocked to the side, "aren’t you getting married tomorrow?"

A touch of color bleeds into Isaac’s cheeks as he nods. “Yep, tomorrow is the big day,” he answers, clearing his throat as he points to a drink called ‘Arkham Asylum’. “Can I have one of those?”

"Ah, Batman fan?" Isaac shrugs in response and Marin smiles, nodding as she moves to mix his drink, doing so with skilled hands. A few minutes later, a drink that’s tinged purple is sat down in front of him and the bartender smiles. "One Arkham Asylum. Don’t drink too much."

"Can’t get drunk."

Marin nods, smiling as she excuses herself. She walks down to the other end of the bar while Isaac sips on his drink for a moment. It’s potent, definitely, and he heeds the bartender’s warning about not drinking too much. Though he can’t get drunk (at least not without suppressing his healing), Isaac can still feel the effects for at least a few minutes.

So for the whole time he’s here, Isaac sips on one drink. He makes conversation with a nice couple sitting beside him and they ask about his wedding. Isaac tells them all about it, then about his mate, and leaves an hour later when he’s sure that Derek and Peter are… quiet.

Once he’s home, the Alpha goes upstairs and strips down to nothing. He slides into bed, lying underneath the blankets that smell like Scott, and falls asleep with no problems. That night, he dreams about something happening at their wedding and, once again, the zombie dreams are back.

The zombies in question? His parents.

**xx**

Isaac wakes up, drenched in sweat. He’s shaking slightly, whimpering under his breath, and he stares at the ceiling for a moment before telling himself that it was just a dream. Just a  _fucking dream_  about his parents showing up to his wedding with pieces of their flesh burned off and hanging from their bodies.

And while Isaac knows that it’s implausible, it still makes his stomach twist.

Once he’s calmed down enough so that he won’t alarm Derek or Peter if they hear his heartbeat, Isaac looks at the clock. It’s nearly time for him to get up, anyway, so he slips out of bed and puts a pair of boxers on. The house is chilly, the cold wrapping itself around him and actually  _comforting_  the Alpha as he walks down the hall, then down the stairs.

It’s weird, the house being so quiet, but it gives Isaac time to think. Time to calm down and not worry about his zombie parents crashing his wedding because that’s preposterous… or is it? God, Isaac doesn’t know anymore. He hasn’t had dreams about zombie family members since before Derek and Laura came back.

Isaac makes coffee and drinks two cups before anyone shows up. He’s on his third when Erica comes into the house, her dress swishing with every movement. When she comes into the kitchen, the beta makes a clicking sound with her tongue and takes the half empty cup away from Isaac before dumping the coffee down the sink.

"No more coffee," she says and the Alpha nods. "What’s the matter? You look pale."

"Nothing," Isaac lies, shrugging when Erica glares at him. "I just had a dream, okay? I’m fine, not getting cold feet or anything."

Erica looks at him for a moment, clearly scrutinizing, and then nods. “Okay, good. If you left that boy at the altar, I would kill you,” she murmurs as she ushers Isaac upstairs. Her heels clack against the stairs as they walk and she calls out, telling everyone in the house to wake up.

Derek calls back a “fuck you” and Erica laughs, pushing Isaac into his room before going down the hall, mumbling something about kicking his ass and not caring if he  _is_  six months pregnant. It’s said in a playful tone, which makes Isaac relax as he goes into his and Scott’s room to grab his suit, opening the garment bag with a sigh.

For the longest time, Isaac just  _stares_  at the suit. He remembers the dream, how his mother walked toward him with half her face burnt off and asked him  _why_. ‘Why Derek and not me,’ she asked, her dirty and blood-caked fingers reaching out toward him.

Isaac nearly screams.

"What — Isaac,  _get ready_.” Erica’s voice pulls Isaac out of his reverie and he nods, shooing her away before getting changed, his movements almost robotic. Once he’s ready and his tie is straight, Isaac leaves the room and heads downstairs where everyone is waiting for him.

"There you are," Derek sighs, his hands on his stomach. He looks much, much bigger than anyone should when they’re six months pregnant and Isaac wonders if he’s having twins, the thought bringing a smile to his face. "What’re you smiling at?"

Shaking his head, Isaac comes over to grab a pair of shoes from the pile Erica made. “Not a damn thing,” he mumbles, slipping the dress shoes on before tying them, sighing as he straightens up.

"Okay, we’re going to be late if you three don’t stop fucking around," Erica announces, making a shooing motion toward the door. They stop only long enough to grab their jackets and slip them on before she’s nearly shoving them out onto the porch.

Then they’re all in Erica’s car and she’s driving them to the wedding, talking about how exciting this is and how  _happy_  she is for Isaac. He smiles in the backseat, playing with the cuffs of his suit jacket and swallowing at the ever growing lump in his throat. This is it, he thinks, the day we’ve all been waiting for.

It takes twenty minutes to get to the church and Isaac stares at it with trepidation. He isn’t going to back out of this, not when they’ve come so far and when he loves Scott so much, but he can’t stop thinking about his dream. Isaac _knows_ that he should stop, that it didn’t mean a damn thing, and follows Erica, Peter, and Derek into the church.

The whole pack is there, along with their friends and some of Scott’s family members that Isaac has never met before now. He looks at all of them, his stomach twisting into painful knots, and goes to grab a drink of water before Erica tells him it’s almost time.

Isaac nods, allowing her to take him down to the front of the church where the priest is waiting for them. All eyes are on him and he can feel everyone watching them, can hear a few women on Scott’s side whisper about him. He chuckles nervously, standing in the spot the priest tells him to with his hands loosely clasped in front of him.

Derek, Peter, Stiles, and Boyd stand beside him, all of them wearing smiles. Danny, Ethan, Aiden, and a kid named Matt that Isaac’s met a few times before stand on the other side, waiting for Scott to come down the aisle.

When the music starts playing, everyone looks toward the back of the church. Annabel comes down the aisle, tossing pink and white flower petals as she squeals, getting halfway down the church before running the rest of the way, squealing when John picks her up.

And then Scott appears at the back, his hands slipped into his pockets. He’s got a nervous smile on his face and, when he hears his cue, takes his hands out before walking down the aisle, his eyes locked on Isaac. The second their eyes meet, Isaac’s heart thumps wildly behind his ribs and he smiles, chewing on his lower lip.

Scott stops when the music does and Isaac moves up a little, clearing his throat. He listens to the priest talk, explaining why they’re all gathered in the church today, and then the ceremony begins. The old man’s words only make Isaac feel even more nervous and he barely pays attention when it’s his turn to speak.

A ring is given to him and he repeats after the priest, his heart in his throat. He holds the ring and Scott’s hand with shaky fingers, giving his mate a smile as he slips the band onto his ring finger, just above the engagement ring.

Then Scott is repeating the same words, slipping the same kind of ring on his own finger, and Isaac swallows at the lump in his throat. He knows they’re getting closer to being pronounced husbands and his knees shake, threatening to buckle the moment he hears those words.

"I now pronounce you married," the priest says and everyone in the church claps; someone in the back whistles, then another person, and another until nearly everyone is. The priest tells everyone to calm down before saying, "You may kiss."

Isaac chuckles, licking his lips slowly as he cups Scott’s check and leans in, pressing their lips together in a chaste kiss. It would have stayed that way, too, had the beta not decided to deepen it and thread his fingers through Isaac’s hair, tugging him closer. Someone whistles again, in a more seductive manner, and Isaac blushes as he breaks away from the kiss.

**xx**

The reception is held at Melissa’s house and it’s just for pack members and close family. Most of Scott’s relatives don’t show up but his father does, which is weird because Isaac  _knows_  the relationship between Scott and his dad is barely there. Still, when the man comes up and talks to him, the Alpha is polite and smiles, saying ‘thank you’ to all the compliments given.

At the end of the reception, Lydia springs a surprise on the boys.

"We’re sending your family to Disneyland," she says and smiles when Annabel squeals in delight, jumping up and down near Stiles. "I know it’s not a real  _honeymoon_  but it’s a vacation that you two desperately need, so we decided to send you to the happiest place on earth.”

Isaac smiles and kisses Lydia’s cheek before thanking her. “I thought you were going to say you were sending us to Hawaii or something,” he mumbles.

"Hell no. We’re not made of  _money_ , Lahey.” Lydia grins and pecks Isaac’s cheek, then Scott’s before going to hang out with Erica again, the two barely able to keep their hands off each other and Isaac can’t blame them. He can barely keep his own hands off of Scott and he can’t help but grin whenever he remembers that Scott is his  _husband_.

That night, when they go home, Isaac lets Scott fuck him. He managed to get everyone out of the house for the night, so they have sex on nearly every surface hey can that doesn’t make Scott feel  _gross_. So they mainly stick to their bedroom, their bathroom, and the living room before going to bed.

And that night, Isaac doesn’t dream of his family — at least, not the zombie version. He does have dreams about his mother and father, smiling at him as they talk about how _proud_ they are and how much they love him. There are tears on the pillow when Isaac wakes up in the morning but he doesn’t pay attention to them.


	31. Chapter 31

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The pack gets two new, tiny members.

A week after their wedding, Scott and Isaac go to Disneyland with their family. It isn’t what either of them had in mind for a  _honeymoon_  but they don’t complain because they haven’t gone anywhere as a family since Emma was born. Besides, they can’t go on a  _real_  honeymoon together because neither Scott nor Isaac want to leave their children at home, even though they’ll be perfectly fine with their pack.

Most of the trip consists of taking care of Emma and Isaac volunteers to do that so Scott and Annabel can enjoy the park. He joins them, of course, but watches as they go on what rides they’re allowed to go on, holding Emma the entire time. The family has a good time, visiting with the characters and enjoying time together, but five days after getting to Disneyland, they go back home.

Life, Isaac has noticed, after the wedding is exactly the same as it had been before. Now he just has a ring that tells everyone - human and werewolf alike - that he’s off the market, though most werewolves can smell  _mate_  and  _children_  on him. There’s also the little change of Scott’s last name and whenever Isaac hears someone call him “Mr. Lahey” his heart speeds up just a little.

Their life goes back to normal and stays that way for a month…

And then Derek goes into labor.

**xx**

It’s just after two o’clock in the morning on March twelfth when Derek goes into labor. Isaac is sound asleep in his bed with Scott wrapped around him and he wakes up when he hears a pained gasp come from down the hall. He slips out of bed, tugging a t-shirt on over his head as he walks out into the hallway, his footsteps quiet as he walks down to Peter and Derek’s room. The door opens when Isaac is halfway there and the older werewolf steps out into the hallway, his expression one of worry.

"Derek’s — " he starts and shakes his head, clearly unable to say more.

"What?" Isaac asks, his heart thumping wildly as he runs the rest of the way. He skids on the floor, stopping just a foot away from the open doorway, and looks at the bed where Derek is lying on his back. Both hands are resting on his stomach, which is large and covered with a t-shirt that looks to be threadbare.

When Isaac and Scott came back from their trip, Derek surprised them. The beta told them that he was having twins, that he had just found out even though they had all been suspicious of that for a while now, and Isaac couldn’t have been happier. He also worried about his brother, not knowing whether or not he would go full term, and know his worst fears are coming true.

Derek groans, gritting his teeth as he breathes in deeply through his nose. “Hurts,” he mumbles, moving his hands along the swell of his stomach and Isaac nods slowly.

"I’m sorry." Isaac frowns as he comes over, moving his hands along Derek’s stomach. He can hear two little heartbeats going wild and he looks at Peter, nodding his head curtly. "Go turn the car on and put the bag you two packed in the backseat. We need to get him to the hospital," he instructs.

"Wha - what? No, no,  _no_. I’m - ah - not supposed to be going into labor for another  _two months_.” Derek whines the words out, letting his head fall back against the mattress as he groans, his hands stilling on either side of his belly.

A chuckle rises from Isaac’s throat as he holds his hands out for his brother to take while Peter goes to get the car ready. “Sorry, Derek, but I think the pups are coming out a little earlier than you expected,” he says, pulling his brother onto his feet.

Almost as soon as he’s vertical, Derek’s water breaks. The mess gets all over the sweat pants he’s wearing and he curses under his breath, pressing his forehead against Isaac’s shoulder as he takes a deep, shuddering breath. It pains the Alpha to see his brother this way and he wants to take his pain, wants to burden himself with it instead, but can’t.

"Okay. Come on, big guy, let’s get you downstairs." Isaac lets Derek wrap an arm around his waist and goes slowly, not pushing the beta any further than he can go. They stop outside of the bedroom so Derek can breathe and Scott appears at the other end of the hallway, wearing one of Isaac’s sweatshirts and a frown on his face.

Derek sees him and gives a shaky smile, hissing out, “M’fine, stop  _worrying_.”

"Clearly you’re fine." Scott snorts and comes closer, stopping when Derek puts a hand up, holding him off. "Where’s Peter?"

"Getting the car," Isaac answers, putting a hand on the small of Derek’s back. None of them talk for a moment and then the beta is grumbling, saying that he’s okay to move and that he just wants to get into the car so he can get the babies out. That makes Isaac chuckle and he nods, helping his brother down the hallway.

All in all, it takes twenty minutes of off and on walking before they’re downstairs and at one point, Isaac was almost certain that Derek was going to just fall down them. He didn’t, thankfully, and they all made it down to the bottom of the stairs, where Peter was waiting for them with a bag thrown over his shoulder.

Peter takes Isaac’s place, an arm looping around his mate’s waist. “I’ve got him from here and I’ll let you two know when to come to the hospital. Call Laura and Cora, okay? Tell them to come with you,” he says and Isaac nods his head, helping the pair to the door before going upstairs to grab his cellphone.

It feels surreal, Isaac thinks as he picks his phone up and begins texting his sisters. Derek wasn’t supposed to be going into labor for another two months and while they were all told that sometimes with twins, it’s normal for people to give birth prematurely, none of them had been expecting it.

The first message is sent but Isaac’s hands are shaking so bad, so he has to set the phone on the bed as he calms himself down. He stares at the floor, at where his toes are curling against the hardwood, and only looks up when he hears Scott come into the room. The younger man comes over and kneels on the bed beside him, wrapping both arms around Isaac’s neck before nuzzling him lightly.

"Derek’s going to be okay," he promises, his voice just barely above a whisper.

Isaac sighs. He wants to believe his mate, wants to believe that everything is going to be okay but there’s a nagging feeling in his gut that tells him it’s not going to be. Instead of replying verbally, the Alpha just nods his head slowly and lets it rest against Scott’s as he sighs heavily, bringing a hand up to touch his mate’s arm lightly.

A moment later, the phone buzzes between them. Isaac grabs it, reading the reply he got from Laura that says they should go to the hospital  _right the fuck now_  and be with their brother, who needs them. He sends her a message back that says Derek has Peter, that he’s not alone and that they’ll go to the hospital when their uncle gives them the okay.

"I can’t message Cora," he mumbles after the message is sent and he hands the phone to Scott, who takes it without a word. "Can you tell her that Derek’s gone into labor?"

"Yeah." Scott smiles and kisses Isaac’s temple before tapping his thumbs against the screen at lightning speed. It’s not even a moment later when he’s laying the phone down on the mattress and wrapping his arms around Isaac again, holding him close.

They stay like that for a while; not even the buzzing of the phone brings their attention away from one another and Isaac has never been more grateful for Scott than he is in right then. He doesn’t know what he would do without his mate and buries his face against the other man’s neck, breathing his scent in as deeply as he can before exhaling.

After a while, Scott pulls back and runs a hand through Isaac’s hair, smiling. “Let’s lie back down and wait for Peter to call, okay? There’s nothing we can do right now,” he murmurs, bringing his hand down to drag his fingertips along the curve of Isaac’s jaw. The Alpha nods, allowing Scott to pull him down onto the mattress and wrap his limbs around his body.

For the longest time, Isaac just listens to Scott’s heartbeat and breathing. He wants it to lull him back to sleep but he knows that even if it did, he would fight to stay awake. So he does, for nearly an hour an a half while the rest of the house is asleep and he jumps when he hears the phone vibrating on the mattress beside him.

Peter’s name flashes across the screen and Isaac swallows thickly as he answers.

"Hello?"

"Isaac," Peter says on the other line and he sounds… upset.

"Yeah, what’s going on?"

A beat of silence and then: “Derek’s in labor and the doctors are worried about the cubs, so they’re taking him into surgery right now.”

Those words sink in and Isaac sighs, his chest tightening. “We’re coming,” he says and waits for the older man to reply before hanging up. “Scott, I’m going to the hospital.”

"Mmm… I’ll come with you."

"No, someone needs to stay here with Emma." Isaac is out of bed before Scott can reply and he changes out of his pajamas, swapping them for a pair of jeans and a loose t-shirt. He runs a hand through his hair, body trembling as he looks for his boots and he nearly growls when he can’t find them but Scott’s right there, putting a hand on his. "I’m worried," the Alpha murmurs.

Scott nods and kisses his cheek. “I know, Isaac. We’re all worried about Derek, okay? But you need to calm down and get to the hospital safely,” he whispers and moves to grab Isaac’s boots from where they are beside the door, bringing them back with a soft smile on his face.

While Isaac finishes getting ready, Scott lets Cora and Laura know what’s going on. They tell him they’re on their way to the hospital and the beta relays the message to his mate as he hands the phone over to him. Isaac kisses Scott gently, over and over, before resting their foreheads together and sighing heavily.

"Let me know what happens." Scott leans up on his tiptoes and presses a kiss to Isaac’s nose before settling back down. He smiles reassuringly as his hands scrub up and down the Alpha’s arms and then he swats at him playfully, tells him to _go_.

And Isaac doesn’t need to be told twice; he leaves the house a few minutes later, firing the Camaro up before pulling out of the driveway. The only thing he can think of on the way to the hospital is that he can’t lose Derek, not again, and prays that nothing bad will happen. Even though werewolves can  _heal_ , they can still have complications during birth, and Isaac is worried something will happen to his brother.

Laura is already there when Isaac arrives and she hugs him as soon as he’s through the hospital doors, holding onto him for a long moment. She tells him that Derek’s already in surgery, that Peter is in there with him, and they move up to a waiting room on the labor and delivery floor as they wait for Cora, who shows up fifteen minutes later with red, puffy eyes.

"Any word?" Cora asks as she sits on the other side of Isaac, taking his free hand. The Alpha shakes his head, his expression somber as he stares at the doors that lead to the operating room. There’s too much noise in the hospital, so he can’t zero in on any one noise, and soon he just gives up trying to find Derek’s heartbeat in a building filled with _hundreds_  of them.

An hour later, Peter comes out into the room. He’s still wearing the scrubs the doctors gave him when he went into the OR with Derek and they’re bloody, which makes Isaac panic. It’s Derek’s blood on his clothing and that can only mean one thing: he’s gone.

But what Peter says contradicts Isaac’s conclusion.

"Derek’s okay. He lost a little bit of blood but the doctors expect him to make a full recovery in a few days," he says, smiling brightly as he starts to remove the crinkly clothes, his nose wrinkled at the smell rolling off them in waves.

"And the babies?" Laura asks impatiently, her knee bouncing up and down and her hand gripping onto Isaac’s so tightly that it makes him wince.

Peter smiles even more, his blue eyes shining in the light as he nods slowly. “They’re fine, too, though a little smaller than most children are at this stage of pregnancy. The doctors took them up to the NICU for further examination,” he answers.

"So," Cora starts and blows out a long breath, "do we have two nieces or two nephews or… what?"

"A niece and a nephew."

Isaac grins and lets go of Laura’s hands so he can stand, moving over to Peter. “Congratulations,” he says in a quiet, almost broken voice, and wraps his arms around the older man, hugging him tightly.

"Thank you," Peter whispers back, holding onto Isaac for a moment before pulling back. "I’ll let you all know when you’re allowed to see the babies and Derek. The doctors are going to stitch him up and get some blood into his system before putting him in a room."

"We can come back in the morning, if you want." Laura’s voice is quiet and tired but she sounds happy. "I mean, it’s going to take a while for all of that to happen and they probably won’t let the babies out of the NICU until then, anyway," she says, shrugging.

Peter purses his lips, considering this, and nods. “I think that would be better. Derek’s probably just going to sleep as soon as he’s in a room and it’s not like the babies aren’t going to be here in a few hours,” he replies.

They all hug each other, murmuring soft ‘congratulations’ to Peter before letting him go and leaving the hospital with each other. Isaac immediately goes over to the Camaro, hearing footsteps behind him but he doesn’t know which sister it is, not at first. When he gets to the car, he turns around to look and smiles when he sees Cora.

"Shouldn’t you go home and get some sleep? You have class in the morning," he points out, his arms crossed over his chest as he leans against the trunk of the car.

"It’s just English and I’m acing that class, anyway." Cora smiles and comes over, her arms looping around Isaac’s middle as she yawns loudly. "Boyd wanted to come because he was freaked out but I told him it was just family only, you know?"

Isaac nods, moving his arms so they’re draped along Cora’s shoulders. “Yeah, I know. Scott would have come if we had someone to watch Emma for a while but… yeah, it should have just been family,” he murmurs in agreement.

"I can’t believe Laura and I are the only ones without cubs."

"And it better stay that way for a while. With you, at least."

" _Please_. I could take care of a cub, go to school, and still maintain an awesome sex life with my sexy boyfriend," Cora whispers, chuckling when Isaac makes a noise of disgust. "You can’t pretend that you don’t  _know_  that I’m banging Boyd."

A groan escapes Isaac’s throat as he presses his face against Cora’s hair. “I know but at least I can pretend to pretend that I don’t know what’s going on between you two,” he mumbles, moving his arms down to rest on top of hers.

"That’s sweet in a weird way."

"Shut up and go home," Isaac mutters, laughing as he kisses the top of Cora’s head. "I love you and I’ll see you tomorrow, okay? Don’t worry about Derek; he’ll be okay."

Cora leans up, pressing a kiss to Isaac’s cheek, and pulls away from him. “I love you too and see you in the morning! I hope Derek helps us name his pups,” she says in a sing-song voice before moving away, waving at the Alpha.

Isaac waits until Cora is in the car and out of the parking lot before climbing into the Camaro, blowing out a long breath as he starts the engine. He pulls out of his spot, shifts into gear, and heads out of the parking lot before going home, doing under the speed limit. When he gets back to the house, Isaac parks behind Scott’s car and goes inside slowly, yawning as he heads up the stairs.

There’s a sliver of light coming out from underneath their bedroom door and Isaac finds Scott sitting up in bed with a book laying across his bent knees. He looks up when the door opens, a smile on his face as he shuts the book, and straightens up, an unspoken question written all over his face.

"Derek’s fine," Isaac answers and strips down to his boxers, throwing his clothes onto the floor as he goes over to the bed, sliding underneath the blankets with Scott. "The pups are okay, too."

"Genders?"

Isaac yawns, nuzzling his mate’s arm as he answers, “Boy and a girl.”

"Oh my god," Scott breathes, laughing as he sets his book on the nightstand and wraps his arms around Isaac, holding onto him tightly. "That’s adorable. Did you get to see them?"

"No, they were too small so the doctors took them to the NICU. We can see them in the morning," Isaac answers, pulling Scott’s body against his own. "Now, though, we’re going back to sleep because I’m exhausted."

There are whispers of “goodnight” from both of them before they settle down for the night, Scott’s back pressed tightly against Isaac’s chest. That’s the position they wake up in the morning, when the light comes through the window and Emma starts fussing. Her little coos and gurgles turn into a sharp cry that has Isaac literally _jumping_  out of bed.

Isaac’s heart is pounding as he walks down to hallway, running a hand through his hair as he yawns and steps into their daughter’s nursery. He goes over to the crib where Emma is still letting out shrill cries and he swallows hard as he scoops her up, cradling the infant to his chest, sighing quietly.

"Shh, it’s okay. Daddy’s got you," he whispers, patting her back lightly as he carries her over to the changing table. Isaac yawns once more and then starts changing Emma, tossing the diaper into the trashcan beside the table. "See? You’re okay."

Once Emma is changed and in a fresh onesie, Isaac takes her downstairs to make a bottle for her, leaning against the counter as he feeds his daughter. He can hear Scott upstairs, moving around their bedroom as he murmurs to himself, and laughs. As Emma eats, Isaac talks to her, whispering quietly as she looks up at him, her fists curled against the sides of the bottle.

"Your uncle Derek just had babies last night. Yeah, isn’t that exciting?"

Nothing but the sound of sucking.

Isaac laughs, pressing a kiss to Emma’s forehead. He pulls her bottle away when she’s done and situates her on his shoulder, patting her back lightly to get her to burp. A few minutes later, Scott walks into the room dressed in a pair of jeans and a long sleeve t-shirt, a smile spreading across his face.

"Good morning," he says as he comes over to take Emma away from Isaac, patting her back as he takes over trying to get her to burp after breakfast. "Thanks for getting her up for me."

"No problem." Isaac smiles and turns before getting the coffee maker ready, pushing the power button with a sigh. He scrubs a hand down his face, leaning his hip against the counter as he turns to look at Scott, smiling at the sight of him holding their daughter. An impressive burp fills the air and they laugh together as the beta smooths his hand along Emma’s back, chuckling quietly.

After that, Isaac makes breakfast for the two of them and they eat in silence. He finishes first, allowing Scott to stay in the kitchen with Emma as he goes upstairs to get dressed, and when he comes back downstairs, the beta is all ready to go. Their daughter is in her car seat, playing the the toys that dangle on the handle, and Isaac smiles.

"Ready?" Scott asks as he tugs his shoes on, straightening up with a smile.

Isaac nods and grabs a jacket, slipping his shoes on before bending down to tie the laces quickly. “I’m ready now,” he says, shrugging into his coat as he walks over to pick Emma’s car seat up, carrying her out of the house and to Scott’s car.

When the beta comes outside and puts their daughter into the car, Isaac goes to move his Camaro so they can get out. He hops out of his car, then slides into the passenger seat of Scott’s, and settles back against it with a content sigh. Isaac is excited to see his brother, to see his niece and nephew, and taps his fingers against his knee impatiently.

"Come _on_."

"Jeez," Scott laughs as he slides in behind the wheel, starting the engine and shutting the door before putting his seat belt on. "Someone’s impatient."

A blush spreads across Isaac’s cheeks when he hears that and he shrugs. “I want to make sure Derek is okay and make sure the pups are going to be okay,” he murmurs.

Scott smiles, nodding as he backs out of the driveway. He pulls out into the road, shifts into gear, and then they’re making their way to the hospital with the radio playing quietly and Emma in the backseat, gurgling happily to herself. Isaac turns his head around to watch her with a smile on his face, moving an arm around to play with her hand, letting the infant’s fingers wrap around the tip of his own.

When they get to the hospital, Scott parks close to the entrance and Isaac gets out. He takes Emma out of the seat, deciding just to carry her into the building, and he smiles when Scott’s arm slips around his waist. They walk in together, with Emma looking around at all the lights as she’s settled in the crook of Isaac’s arm.

They go upstairs to the labor and delivery floor, where Laura, Allison, Cora, and Boyd are all standing around in the waiting area, talking about the babies. When they see Isaac and Scott, the girls squeal and come over with their hands held out; Allison is the one that scoops Emma up out of the Alpha’s arm and holds her close, touching her nose with the tip of a finger.

"How’s Derek?" Scott asks, his hands slipping into the front pockets of his jeans.

Laura smiles and leans her chin against Allison’s shoulder, looking down at Emma as she answers the question. “He’s good, kind of out of it but who wouldn’t be after what he went through? He’s also happy,” she murmurs.

"And the pups? How are they doing?" Isaac’s voice cracks just a little because, yeah, he’s still worrying about the babies and Derek, though Laura just said that he was okay.

"Perfect! They’re so tiny, though, Isaac but they’re beautiful." Cora’s smiling brightly, though the Alpha can see the cracks in her mask of happiness and he frowns. He doesn’t even have to ask her what’s wrong because the beta, taking in his facial expression, offers the information to him. "The girl looks _just like mom_ ," she murmurs.

Isaac swallows, nodding his head slowly. “That’s a good thing, though,” he replies, smiling shakily as he comes over to wrap his arm around Cora’s shoulders, squeezing her lightly.

"If you two want to go see him, Derek’s room is 607," Allison says, looking away from Emma for the first time, and smiles brightly. "Peter never left his side when we were in there and it was so adorable."

Scott chuckles, moving a hand up to touch Emma’s cheek lightly. “Isaac can go in alone. I know how important it is for family to see family,” he says, shrugging lightly.

"You _are_  family," Isaac points out, frowning as he goes over to wrap his arms around Scott’s waist, sighing quietly. "And I’m sure Derek wants to see you, too, and then we can go see the babies in the NICU… if they’re still there?"

"Yep, they’re still up there. I think the doctor said they were keeping them under observation for another few hours," Cora answers, shrugging her shoulders as she leans back against Boyd, slipping her hands on top of his. "But they’ll let you go into see them."

With a nod, Isaac smiles at his pack before pulling Scott down the hallway. They go down to Derek’s room and the Alpha stops outside of it, taking a deep breath before opening the door, smiling at the sight of his brother sitting up in the hospital bed. He’s got a bunch of IVs connected to his body but he looks good, happy.

"Good morning," Derek says, smiling brightly. "Have you seen the twins?"

"Not yet. We wanted to see you before we went up to pay a visit to them," Isaac replies and smiles, walking over to the bed before sitting on the edge. He put his hand on top of Derek’s, being careful not to disturb the needle that was sticking in his vein. "How are you doing?"

The beta shrugs, though his smile doesn’t falter. “I’m starting to feel like it wasn’t worth it and that I never want to go through pregnancy again… but I’m happy,” he says, sighing wistfully. “They are _perfect_ , Is.”

"That’s what Cora was telling me."

"Do you want to know what we named them?" Peter asks in a tired but happy voice. Isaac nods his head and the older wolf smiles, taking Derek’s free hand in his own. "James Elijah and Natalia Elizabeth Hale."

Isaac grins, patting Derek’s hand lightly as he looks at him and then at Peter. “Those are great names,” he murmurs, his voice cracking with emotion but he clears his throat quickly. “Mom and dad would approve _so hard_.”

"They are beautiful names," Scott says as he comes over to the other end of the bed, sitting beside Peter. "And I’m glad you’re okay, asshole. If you would have died, I’d have gotten Stiles to bring you back so I could kick your ass." The beta smirks at Derek, smacking his leg lightly.

"It was touch and go for a while," Peter murmurs, sighing heavily, "but they managed to get the babies out before anything happened to them or Derek."

A laugh bubbles up from Derek’s throat and he rolls his eyes, swatting at Peter. “Nothing was going to happen to me. I’m a Hale, remember? We don’t die easily,” he says and leans over to kiss Peter lightly, humming as he pulls back.

"Whoa, dude, you just had a baby." Isaac winks, smirking as he pats his brother’s knee lightly, sighing heavily. "I just wanted to make sure you were okay. You two need some time to be together and bask in the joy of a new life… so Scott and I are going to go make faces at the babies," he says and stands, leaning over to kiss the top of Derek’s head.

"I’m still your older brother," Derek grumbles, laughing as he pats Isaac’s chest lightly. "Thank you for coming and I promise, we’ll be out of the house in a month. So you won’t have to deal with the twins crying all night long."

Isaac waves a hand dismissively and snorts. “I don’t care about that. You guys can stay as long as you want to,” he replies, patting Derek’s cheek before moving his hand down to grab Peter’s. He squeezes it lightly and smiles more as he pulls back, waving to the two of them as he watches Scott hug them carefully.

And then they head upstairs while the others watch Emma for them.

The NICU portion of the nursery floor is locked, so they have to call in to the nurses on the other side of the doors and wait for them to be opened. Once they are, Isaac slips his hand into Scott’s and walks him down the hallway as his stomach twists into painful knots. He’s not worried about his niece and nephew, of course not, but he is anxious and nervous to see them, not sure how tiny they are.

"Hello," a nurse greets them as soon as they stop outside of the room and she smiles brightly, motioning to the door. "Is this your first time visiting the neonatal intensive care unit?"

"Yes," Isaac answers, letting his hand fall from Scott’s as he takes his jacket off. He hangs it up on a hook outside of the door, watching as his mate pushes his sleeves up around his elbows, and listens to the nurse give them instructions.

Once they’re allowed in, Isaac walks through the door and stops at the sink. He washes his hands thoroughly, drying them off on a couple of paper towels before grabbing a gown from the spot where the woman said they would be. As he slips into the piece of clothing, Isaac looks around the room and notices there are a few parents standing around the incubators where tiny newborns are lying underneath lights.

And he tries not to stare, really honestly tries, but Isaac has never seen a baby so tiny. They look like they would barely fit in the palm of his hand and their skin is almost translucent. He finally tears his eyes away, tying the back of his gown as he walks over to the incubators that had ‘Hale’ name tags on them.

The beds are right next to each other, so Isaac steps in between them. He looks down at the babies underneath the lamps and bites down on his lower lip. Cora was right: the twins really are tiny and Natalia really does look like their mother. She has the same nose, the same chin, and it makes Isaac’s chest tighten painfully.

Scott joins him, wrapping both arms around his waist. “They’re adorable,” he murmurs as he looks between the bed where James is lying and the one where Natalia is. “Very, very tiny but completely adorable… and noisy.”

"Yeah, they’re Hales which means they’re fighters." Isaac smiles and moves his hand to the opening on the side of James’ bed, letting the newborn’s fingers curl around the tip of his. His skin is warm and wrinkly, having more colour than some of the other babies’ which made Isaac feel less worried about them.

Throughout their entire visit, Scott talks to the twins. He doesn’t tell them about anything in particular, just lets them listen to his voice which seems to calm them down. Then more parents start to come in and Isaac feels like he’s invading on their private lives, so he ushers Scott out of the unit. They get rid of their gowns at the door and the Alpha grabs his jacket from the hook outside, shrugging into it with a smile.

Cora and Boyd are the only two left in the waiting area when Isaac and Scott return. Emma is curled up on her aunt’s lap, big brown eyes locked on the beta’s face as she talks to her and attempts to play peek-a-boo with her. It’s adorable, and a little too early for games like that, but it makes Isaac laugh nonetheless.

"Did you see them?" Cora asks when they approach and Isaac nods. "Doesn’t Nat look _just like_  mom? I swear, it’s like mom’s reincarnated in that baby or something."

"Is that real?" Scott frowns, then purses his lips as he thinks about it.

Boyd is the one that answers. “A few cultures believe that it is and that how you act in this life greatly affects what you’ll come back as in the next one,” he says, shrugging. He grins when Isaac stares at him and mumbles, “I read a lot.”

"Clearly," the Alpha laughs and moves to take Emma away from Cora. "Say bye to your aunt and uncle. You won’t see them all day."

"Bye, sweetheart." As she speaks, Cora kisses Emma’s forehead and pats Isaac’s shoulder, then gives Scott a huge hug. Boyd nods his head toward them, allowing his girlfriend to take his hand and lead him out of the room, then down the hall to where the bank of elevators are.

Once they’re gone, Isaac sighs and sways with Emma. “We should get home,” he says, smiling when Scott hums before saying something about having to go into work.

"I should have just went to school for baking."

"Mmm, you should have." Isaac smirks, pecking Scott’s forehead before nodding toward the elevators. They walk down to them, wait for one to open, and climb onto it with a few elderly women who make comments about how cute Emma is and what a wonderful couple Isaac and Scott make.

By the time the elevator stops on the main floor, Isaac’s cheeks are burning. He thanks the women for their kind words, smiling brightly at them as he walks out of the elevator with Scott’s arm hooked around his waist. They’re used to getting comments like that from people and Isaac’s just learned to accept them from elderly women because… well, they’re usually a hell of a lot sweeter coming from someone’s grandma than someone their own age.

Isaac drives them back, letting Scott call the other members of the pack to let them know what happened and how Derek was doing. He listens to his husband’s conversation with Danny, which goes from being about how everyone’s doing to how he and Isaac should come to dinner over at their house sometime. Before the Alpha can say _no_ , Scott’s agreeing to it and grinning wickedly at Isaac before sticking his tongue out at him.

When they get home, Scott gets ready for work and Isaac settles in for the day. He’s changed his schedule around a little bit so he can spend more time at home with Emma and, honestly, doesn’t regret his decision in the slightest. Their days together are amazing and Isaac learns new things about his daughter every single day.

**xx**

Natalia and James don’t come home for another month. The doctors said that their lungs weren’t as developed as they’d like them to be so they kept them in the NICU for just a bit longer. Once they’re strong enough to breathe normally and on their own, that’s when Derek and Peter bring them home.

And the pack is waiting for their arrival.

When Peter’s car pulls up into the driveway, everyone shuffles out onto the porch. Some of them are holding toys - stuffed animals and the like - while others are holding onto someone else’s hand. As a pack, they all hold their breath and wait for the moment when Derek and Peter carry their twins up the porch steps and into the house.

"Alright, alright," Isaac calls as he comes through the crowd. "Give them room to breathe and get through, you vultures."

Everyone splits under their Alpha’s command and Isaac is standing in the doorway, leaning against the frame with his hands tucked easily into his pockets. He watches Derek and Peter clamber up the porch steps, each of them holding a car seat with a blanket thrown over the top, and they’re both smiling.

"Welcome home," the Alpha murmurs and everyone follows suit, saying those two little words in unison as they watch both men carry their children into the house. As soon as they’re safely inside, that’s when everyone else files in behind them and a bunch of voices sound out at once, overwhelming the new parents.

But it’s not like they seem to mind; Peter holds James in his arms, letting everyone touch him so the baby smells like them and he smiles, thanking everyone when they talk about how adorable and sweet their son is. Derek, on the other hand, sits down on the couch and pulls Natalia out of her car seat, murmuring softly when she starts fussing. He smiles, patting the cushions on either side of him, laughing when Cora and Allison fall onto them.

Isaac watches from the sidelines, holding onto Scott as he rocks Emma slowly. The whole pack - but they’re all more like _family_  - is there, surrounding the couch and chair where the new parents are sitting. Annabel squeals about the new babies and climbs onto Allison’s lap so she can look down at her baby cousin, her eyes wide.

"Nat," she says, after listening to Derek say _Natalia_  over and over. Then she points to James and almost says his name perfectly, though the J comes out sounding more like a Y. Everyone laughs at how sweet she is with the babies, how she lightly brushes her nose along the top of Natalia’s head, and kisses it.

It’s nice to have everyone around and to have two new cubs in their pack. Isaac knows that they’re far from the _last ones_  and knows that there will be plenty of children around for a long time to come. Which makes him excited for the future with Scott and he wonders how many cubs his husband wants, wonders when he wants to have another.

And that’s the thing about new children: it makes everyone baby crazy. Isaac isn’t the only one thinking about cubs because Allison and Laura talk about them; Danny brings up children with Ethan and smiles in a _come on_  kind of way; Erica and Lydia discuss their possible upcoming adoption; Stiles says ‘can we have another’ to Jackson, who just rolls his eyes; and Boyd smiles whenever Cora says she can’t wait to have one of her own.

"The house is going to be filled in a couple of years," Scott murmurs, laughing quietly as he turns to kiss Isaac lightly, smiling against his mouth. He nods in agreement, letting his head rest against his husband’s as he closes his eyes and smiles. Isaac can’t wait for the rest of his pack members to have children and can’t wait for the house to be filled with them.


	32. Chapter 32

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The last three chapters skip ahead five years into the future and I apologize for any mistakes you find in any of them or if they sound a bit disjointed. I took some time to just sit down and write all the updates at once (well, not all at once) so I could post them and be done instead of dragging it out. There are probably things that I missed or skipped over and I am so, so sorry! (Also, you may notice that I "stole" some names from the Teen Wolf cast, oops!)

**[five years later]**

Isaac wakes up when he hears the pitter-patter of feet coming down the hallway. He sighs heavily, moving his hand from underneath the pillow to rub the sleep from his eyes, and then stares at the alarm clock on the nightstand in front of him. The red numbers tell him it’s just after seven o’clock in the morning and he  _cannot_ believe that his children are really awake so early on a Saturday morning.

The footsteps stop just outside the room and Isaac smiles, listening to his children talk.

"You get Papa and I’ll get Daddy," Emma whispers to her little brother, Noah.

"Kay!" Noah squeals back, earning a hushed ‘shh’ from his sister.

When the door opens, Isaac smiles and closes his eyes as he waits for the children to come into the room to “wake them up” like they do almost every morning. He hears the floorboards creak slightly underneath the children’s feet and smiles even more when Noah giggles before breaking out into a run. The little boy jumps onto Isaac’s side of the bed, doing his best impression of a growl, and the Alpha laughs quietly at him.

On the other side of the bed, Emma crawls on top of Scott and shakes him. “Daddy, s’time to get up,” she says in a sing-song voice, shrieking when an arm snakes around her waist and Isaac pulls her to his chest along with Noah.

"You know you have to be careful with Daddy now," he murmurs, pecking first Emma’s head and then Noah’s, nuzzling his nose against their hair.

Scott groans quietly and yawns as he slowly rolls over onto his back. “Why do they need to be careful with Daddy, again?”

"Because you’re pregnant." Isaac shoots his husband a look, rolling his eyes when he sees the smirk that spreads across Scott’s face. "And I don’t want them hurting the baby," he whispers, moving a hand away from Emma’s stomach where it’d been lying so that he can touch Scott’s, letting his fingertips slide along the swell of his belly.

“ _Please_. They’re not going to hurt this tough little guy,” the beta murmurs, moving his hands to rest on either side of his stomach, rubbing it slowly.

"Ew, no, boys are  _icky_.” Emma wrinkles her nose and slides away from Isaac so that she can lie beside Scott, her head pressed against his stomach. She giggles and pulls back, rubbing at her cheek as she says, “The baby punched me, Daddy!”

A laugh bubbles up from Isaac’s throat as he sits up, settling Noah on his lap. “You mean  _kicked you_  and that’s just their way of saying good morning,” he says.

Emma giggles again and nods, turning her head so that she can speak directly to Scott’s stomach. She talks to the baby, just as she does every day and how she used to when the beta was pregnant with Noah, and it’s the cutest thing ever. Isaac’s heart thumps wildly in his chest as warmth spreads throughout his body.

"Is there are  _reason_  you two pups are up at such an ungodly hour?” Isaac questions, leaning his chin against the top of Noah’s head as the little boy settles against him. The toddler in his arms makes another growling sound that has his fathers laughing and him clapping his hands as he continues to make the noise.

"We’re hungry," their daughter answers, taking time away from speaking to the baby to answer her father’s question, "and we wanna watch ‘toons!"

Scott runs a hand through Emma’s hair and laughs. “Give us a minute and we’ll go downstairs, okay? Papa can make breakfast while we watch some cartoons,” he promises and Emma squeals, nodding her head before settling on the mattress between her parents.

Noah, on the other hand, just nods his head. He’s three years old and can speak well enough, though he gets incredibly shy around almost everyone — even his parents. It’s something that he’ll grow out of, Laura says, and that there’s nothing physically or mentally wrong with him; he’s just a quiet pup. Though, if someone gives him too much sugar, he will talk up a storm and act like the crazy toddler he is.

Once the minute is up and the kids are getting restless, Isaac scoops them into his arms and carries them out of the room. He lets Scott take his time getting out of bed, knowing that it generally takes a while because he’s eight months pregnant and  _huge_. The Alpha is starting to think the ultrasound was lying and that they’re really having twins; Stiles, along with the others, just think they’re having a big baby.

"Is Uncle Derek and Peter coming over?" Emma asks as they make their descent to the living room.

Isaac takes them over to the couch and dumps them down onto the cushions, grinning when they squeal and giggle. “The whole pack is coming over later today. It’s Adelaide and Alexander’s birthday,” he reminds them, laughing quietly when Emma’s eyes go wide.

"Oh, I ‘member! Aunt Erica told me before."

"Mmm hmm, she did." Isaac smiles, ruffling his daughter’s hair a little. When she asks how old the twins are going to be, he answers with, "They’re turning four today."

"Oooh, I’m older!" Emma announces excitedly and stands, leaning against the back of the couch, her brown eyes shining brightly. "I’m a whole  _year_  bigger than they are!”

That makes the Alpha laugh again and he murmurs ‘you sure are’ as he leans down to kiss the top of her head. He does the same to Noah when the little boy stands up and makes a grabby hands gesture toward his father. Once they’ve both been kissed, the kids sit down on the couch and Isaac turns the television on, going through the channels until he finds Sesame Street - which is something they can both agree on.

When Scott joins the children on the couch, The Count is announcing the number of the day (which just so happens to be ten) while the same number of bats fly around on screen. That makes Noah giggle and he climbs onto Scott’s lap, sitting mostly on his knees because of the baby bump, and Isaac leaves them to their entertainment.

He makes three different kinds of pancakes - chocolate chip, blueberry, and strawberry banana - along with eggs and bacon, flitting around the kitchen as he listens to his family in the other room. They’re singing along with Elmo and even Noah is participating, though his voice is much softer than his sister and father’s. Isaac cherishes morning like this and loves them even more when Annabel is over to enjoy it with them.

"Breakfast is ready," the Alpha announces as he takes the last pancake off the skillet and turns the burner off, listening to Scott grunt in the living room. He goes to help his husband get off the couch, placing a hand on the small of his back as soon as he’s standing, and kisses him lightly. "I promise, this is the last one for a while."

"That’s what you said  _last time_.” Scott grins, pecking Isaac’s lips one more time before following the children into the kitchen. He helps Emma into her chair, then attempts to pick Noah up but groans, cursing under his breath when he can’t bend over that far.

Isaac comes into the kitchen and grins, patting Scott on the back as he tells his husband to sit down at the table. He picks up Noah then, tickling his belly just to get him to laugh, and settles the toddler down in his highchair before making sure the tray is buckled. Once that’s done, the Alpha goes to grab plates and cups from the cabinet, setting them down on the counter beside the stove.

"I want boo-berry pancakes," Emma says as she tips her head back to watch her father.

"What do you say when you want something, Emma?" Scott murmurs.

The little girl drops her head forward and smiles before drawling out, “Please.”

For the next few minutes, Isaac is filling up cups and putting food on plates before serving them to his family members. He finally takes a seat next to Noah, so that he can help the little boy eat if he needs it, and listens to Emma talk about her class in between bites. She goes on and on about her teacher, the other kids in her class, and the class hamster named Henry.

"Do you know how many  _wolves_ are in my class, Papa?” Emma asks, shoving a huge bite of pancake into her mouth before chewing happily. She’s swinging her feet underneath the table and Isaac can hear them hitting the rung of the chair whenever they go back.

"How many?"

Emma swallows her food and takes a sip of juice. “ _Lots_. I thought - I thought it was just gonna be John and me but there’s  _lots_ , Papa,” she breathes, her eyes widening slightly.

"That’s good," Isaac murmurs, smiling at his daughter. "Your teacher is a wolf, too, isn’t she?"

"Uh-huh! She’s a Alpha, just like you."

"An Alpha," Scott corrects gently, smiling when Emma shrugs her shoulders and mumbles ‘whatever’ under her breath before stuffing more pancake into her mouth. "Slow down, pup; you don’t wanna choke, do you?"

After that, breakfast goes by quickly and ends with Noah getting syrup everywhere. It’s all over his hands, his arms, his face, and he’s even got some in his hair along with little bits of bacon and strawberries from the pancakes. Scott laughs hard, holding onto his stomach as he tips his head back and lets it out, the noises tapering off into something akin to a wheeze.

Emma, though, is less amused. “Noah made a mess,” she points out.

"I know, sweetheart, but that’s what little brothers do." Isaac smiles and Emma purses her lips together, like she’s thinking about it, and nods her head quickly. "Now, I need to give him a bath and I’m thinking you may need one too… so do you want to take one together?"

"Can I play wif my ducky?"

"Sure."

"Okay!" Emma shouts, grinning as she scrambles off her chair.

Isaac just laughs and grabs the plates before taking them to the sink. “You have to wait for me to clean the table first, though, okay? Then you can take a bath,” he says, then asks if Emma wants to help clear everything off the table and she quickly agrees.

"What do you want me to do?" Scott asks, his voice broken slightly from all the laughing.

"Relax and let me take care of things, okay? You’re going to pop any day now and I don’t want you doing too much." The Alpha smiles and leans over to kiss Scott’s lips as he reaches for the beta’s glass. He takes it to the sink, rinses it out, and sets it down before helping his husband out of his chair and into the living room.

Once Scott is settled comfortably on the couch, Isaac goes back to take Noah out of his highchair and laughs when more pieces of bacon fall off his lap. He shakes his head, settling the toddler on his side as he carries him toward the stairs, calling out for Emma. The little girl runs to catch up and climbs the stairs behind them, talking about normal kid things the whole way to the bathroom.

Isaac takes them down the hallway and steps into the bathroom, flicking the light on. Since Derek and Peter moved out four years ago, the room has been painted a bright colour and has been filled with Disney related items. The shower curtain, for example, has Finding Nemo fish all over it and their toothbrushes have various other cartoon characters on them.

Noah gets placed on the floor while Isaac starts the bath water, making sure the temperature is just right because he doesn’t want to burn or freeze his children. They may be werewolves but they’re still _young_ , so the pain is excruciating and the Alpha doesn’t want to make his children cry because the water is too hot or cold.

"Alright, champ, let’s get you out of these sticky clothes." Isaac turns and tugs Noah’s pajamas off, throwing them into the hamper in the corner. He sets the little boy down into the water, then helps Emma out of her pajamas, and does the same thing with them before kneeling down beside the tub.

It takes thirty minutes for Isaac to bathe and dress his children. Once they’re syrup free and smelling more like Johnson and Johnson’s baby shampoo rather than breakfast, they return to the living room to cuddle with Scott while watching more cartoons. They stay like this for a long time, not moving until one of the kids needs to use the bathroom or Scott’s stomach growls and he says he’s hungry.

**xx**

The pack shows up later that evening.

Derek and his family are the first to arrive. Peter brings Natalia and James inside, holding onto their hands before letting them go so they can play with their cousins. Behind him, the younger beta walks in with a car seat in his hand, blowing out a long breath but smiling as he comes into the living room, setting the seat on the couch.

"I swear, this kid gains a pound  _every freaking day_ ,” he mumbles, pushing the handle back before unbuckling the infant and lifting him away from the seat, cradling him in the crook of his arm.

"Jacob just has an appetite, don’t you?" Isaac murmurs as he comes over, taking the baby from Derek’s arms and grinning at the soft noises he makes. He then settles the infant in his arms, swaying back and forth with him a little as he looks at Derek, smiling. "I would be jealous of your kids’ cuteness if mine weren’t just as adorable," he says, laughing when his brother flips him off.

The next to arrive are Allison and Laura. Each of them have boxes in their arms and bags hanging from their wrists, grumbling as they come into the living room before setting everything down onto he floor. Laura straightens up, sighs, and looks at where Isaac is standing with their nephew before brightening.

"I want one," she sighs wistfully as she allows Jacob to wrap his tiny fingers around hers.

"You and Allison better be the next ones to have a baby," Derek mutters as he sits down on the couch between Peter and Scott, who’s leaning back with his hands on his stomach. "Because Cora is  _far too young_  to be having a baby.”

Isaac snorts and says, “I was younger than her when Stiles and I had Annabel.”

"That’s different." Derek makes a face and yelps ‘ouch’ when Laura leans over to smack him on the arm. "What was that for!"

"For being a sexist jerk," Laura mumbles.

Frowning, Derek rubs his arm and says, “I wasn’t being  _sexist_! All I meant was that Cora is still my  _baby sister_  and I don’t think she’s old enough to have a baby of her own.”

"She’s  _twenty-three_ , Derek.” Allison points this out as she comes up behind the couch and leans her forearms onto the top of it. “Besides, she and Boyd have been married for almost a year now. I think it’s time they started trying for a baby,” she murmurs, smiling slightly.

The conversation changes and soon everyone is talking about something else, something that isn’t whether or not Cora is too young to have a pup of her own. Fifteen minutes later, the door opens and Danny comes in with Ethan trailing behind him, carrying boxes.

"Can you - help - me?" Ethan asks, grumbling in between the words. The stack of boxes is so high that no one can see him behind them and Danny laughs before taking half of them away from his husband. "Thank you."

"You could have carried those all on your own and you know it," Danny mumbles, rolling his eyes as he goes to stack the gifts with everyone else’s. He greets everyone, then goes straight over to where the kids are and Isaac laughs when they attack him. All the kids in the pack love their Uncle Danny and, really,  _everyone_  likes him.

Ethan joins the group, sitting on the arm of the chair Laura is sitting in. “Where are the birthday kids? I though they would be here first,” he says.

"Lydia said they were going to see her parents first, then they were coming over here. She didn’t say what time they would be over, though," Scott answers, splaying his hands before moving them back to his stomach and groaning. " _Shit_. This baby is active.”

"Weren’t they all?" Laura asks, grinning. "I mean, they  _are_  Hales.”

The rest of the pack starts showing up soon after Danny and Ethan. Of course, Lydia and Erica are the last ones to show, apologizing profusely as they carry the twins inside. They set both children down, watching as they run off toward where the others are, and they join the grownups in their conversation.

Adelaide and Alexander’s birthday party goes off without a hitch. There’s food, cake, lots of presents from their aunts and uncles, and they beam underneath the affection they get from everyone. They’ve come so far in two years, as far as trusting everyone in the pack goes, and Isaac is glad to see that they don’t seem to remember being abandoned by their mother. Of course, they had been too young to remember anything about their omega mother, but the Alpha had heard stories about children having memories about that, even from a young age.

Soon everyone is gone and the house is quiet. The kids are cleaned up, changed, read to, and sleeping peacefully in their rooms while Scott relaxes in theirs. Isaac is downstairs, cleaning up after everyone, and making sure that everything is off and that the doors are locked before going upstairs to join his husband in bed.

"Can you believe the twins are four?" Scott whispers as they’re lying in bed, his back pressed against Isaac’s chest and their hands entwined. "I mean, it really does feel like they were two years old just yesterday and we were having to familiarize them with the pack."

Isaac hums, nodding his head slowly. “I know. I can’t believe that  _our_  baby is going to be six soon and that we’re about to have our third,” he breathes, sliding their joined hands down to touch Scott’s stomach. He can feel the baby moving and smiles, pressing kisses all along his husband’s neck, smirking when he moans quietly.

They don’t have sex but Isaac does go down on Scott and expects nothing in return. He never really does, not anymore and especially not when his husband is hugely pregnant. All Isaac cares about when he touches the beta is getting Scott off and making sure that he’s happy, that he feels good, and that’s more than enough for him.

Later, after Scott’s come down from his orgasm and started dozing off, Isaac traces tiny shapes along the swell of his stomach. This pregnancy had been more of a surprise than the last two and they hadn’t even been trying for this child but were happy with the outcome nonetheless. A big family is something they both want but Isaac knows that after this baby is born, they’re going to slow down and wait a little longer to have another.

He falls asleep not long after Scott does, with thoughts of their family swirling around in his mind, and his hand resting on his husband’s stomach — almost protectively.

**xx**

Three weeks later and just seven days short of his due date, Scott goes into labor. He went early the last pregnancy as well, unlike with Emma’s when he was overdue, and goes to the hospital straight from work, where he’d been when his water broke.

Isaac meets him there, completely calm and relaxed because they’ve been through this two times already and nothing’s happened. The doctors actually told them that Scott’s body was made for getting pregnant and Jackson once said that he was a baby-making machine. So when his husband is wheeled into the operating room, Isaac sits in the waiting room with all of the other expectant fathers.

Madelyn Elizabeth Lahey is born an hour later. She’s tiny and perfect, just like Isaac knew she would be, and he sits in the corner of Scott’s room holding her while his husband sleeps. He strokes her cheek with a fingertip, secretly excited and terrified that they had another girl. They could have found out what they were having before but Scott said he wanted it to be a surprise and Isaac had a feeling that the baby was going to be a girl.

The hospital requires Scott to stay for twenty-four hours, just in case something happens to him or the baby, but once that time is up he’s allowed to go home. He spends the whole car ride in the backseat with Madelyn, talking to her and brushing their noses together while Isaac occasionally watches them in the rear view mirror.

Everyone is waiting for them when they arrive. Scott carries the newborn inside and sits down on the couch with her in his arms, smiling when Noah and Emma climb onto the cushions on either side of him. They talk to the baby, kiss her forehead, and play with her fingers while everyone else takes pictures and celebrates the new life.


	33. Chapter 33

**[five years later]**

  
It’s become an unspoken rule, over the years, that everyone gathers at the Alpha’s house on full moons. So that means that there are children running around, screaming at the top of their lungs because apparently they all get hyper during the moon rather than fidgety, and it’s actually kind of nice - even if it does give Isaac a headache that fades in an out. He’s glad that he’s a werewolf because he’s sure that all of these kids and the noise around them would give him a monster headache that would make him wish he were dead.

  
That’s how Isaac is feeling right now. He knows that the throbbing pain he’s feeling in the base of his skull isn’t just from the noise the children are making. It’s also from the full moon being so close and not being able to just run through the woods like he wants because the whole pack isn’t there yet; they’re still waiting on Ethan and Danny.

  
So he goes to the kitchen, which is the quietest room in the whole house, and hops up onto the counter, leaning his head back against one of the cabinets. He closes his eyes, shuts the rest of the world out, and runs a fingertip along the paw prints on his forearm. In the last few years, Isaac has added smaller paw prints in with the bigger ones and they represent the little ones in the family that aren’t his own children. No, he’s got his kids’ names tattooed on the inside of his bicep, going up from oldest to youngest, and knows that soon there’ll be another to add to the list.

  
For a few minutes, no one disturbs Isaac. He can hear the children in the other rooms, can hear their parents talking in hushed tones to one another, and lets their voices fade away as he thinks about everything. Just as he lets his mind wander to how his life would be different if Scott weren’t in it, Isaac hears footsteps come toward him.

  
"Dad?"

  
Isaac opens his eyes and sees Annabel standing a few feet away from him. She’s fourteen years old now and the Alpha tries not to think about how quickly time passed, how it seemed just like yesterday that she was born. Annabel looks like Stiles, with the same cupid’s bow of a mouth and upturned nose, but she has Isaac’s curly, golden brown hair and his height. He doesn’t think about how she’ll be eighteen before they know it and off into the world to go to college and find a mate. The thought comes, anyway, and Isaac’s chest tightens as he pushes it away with a sigh.

  
"Yeah, Anna?"

  
Annabel shuffles forward, tugging on the sleeves of the borrowed sweater she’s wearing. “I just wanted to see if you were okay,” she murmurs and comes over, hopping up onto the counter beside the Alpha. “Scott said you weren’t feeling well earlier.”

  
"It’s just the full moon," Isaac assures her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders before tugging her closer, pressing his face against her hair. He inhales, taking in all the scents he loves, and closes his eyes for a moment. "And Scott needs to stop worrying."

  
"I  _told him_  that but he said that he could sense that you weren’t okay.” Annabel’s voice is quiet as she leans against her father a little, both of her arms looping around his waist. “You’d tell me if something was going on… right?”

  
Sighing, Isaac nods and kisses his daughter’s head lightly. “Yeah, I’d tell you  _if_  anything was wrong but nothing is. I’m just getting too old for these full moons,” he mumbles, poking Annabel in the side just to get her to laugh.

  
They grow silent, just holding onto one another for a while until someone announces that Danny and Ethan are there. Isaac pulls away, tells Annabel to go round up her siblings, and slides off the counter before heading into the living room where Danny is carrying a bundle wrapped up in a blue blanket.

  
"Sorry," he apologizes, looking exhausted as comes closer to Isaac.

  
Isaac shakes his head and manages a smile. “Don’t worry about it. I’m just glad you got here before I started going crazy. With the full moon and all,” he mutters, shrugging his shoulders.

  
"Yeah, you don’t look so good." Danny frowns, shifting the infant in his arms. "You guys go, okay? Cora, Stiles, Scott, and I have everything under control."

  
"Are you sure you and Stiles can handle the kids with two pregnant werewolves?"

  
"Yeah, we’ve done it before. Everything will be fine." Danny smiles this time, flashing dimples, and Isaac nods his head before patting the human’s shoulder.

  
With a sigh, the Alpha drops his hand and goes through the house. He tells all of the adults to grab their children, the ones that are of age and can actually go out during the full moons, and to meet him outside in five minutes. Then he goes to find Scott, who’s lounging in a chair in the living room, and kisses him lightly.

  
"Be careful," the beta murmurs, touching the contours of Isaac’s face.

  
"I always am." Isaac grins and kisses his husband one more time before going over to hug Madelyn, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. He laughs when she complains about not being big enough to go out on the full moons with everyone else. "In a couple of years, when you’re bigger, you can go out with us. But for now, you have to stay here and keep your pack members company, okay? Keep ‘em safe."

  
Madelyn purses her lips together and nods. “Okay,” she says, then hugs Isaac’s neck before scampering away to where Danny is sitting with his son.

  
Once everyone that’s going is outside, Isaac grabs a jacket from beside the door and joins them, shrugging into the coat with a sigh. He hates leaving Scott on the full moons but the beta has been doing better with controlling himself, especially when he’s pregnant. This is their last one, Isaac knows that because of the way Scott has been acting, and he knows that soon they’ll have an empty house. The thought causes a pang of  _something_  to shoot through his chest and he sighs, following Annabel over to the Camaro.

  
Emma and Noah are already buckled in the backseat. They’re talking about how exciting full moons are and being very animated while their older sister just sits in the passenger seat, tugging the ends of her sleeves over her hands. Isaac makes sure they’re all in and buckled before starting the car, watching as the others back out of the parking lot.

  
Isaac drives in silence. He fidgets in his seat, taps his fingertips against the steering wheel, and glances at his children in the backseat every now and then. Finally, when they get to Derek and Peter’s house, Isaac parks the Camaro just outside of the preserve and helps the kids out, watching as they run toward the others.

  
Everyone walks to the clearing where they usually run from. They cut out the ‘naked’ rule once the kids started coming with them and now they just wear clothes they don’t mind getting dirty. Which means hand-me-downs and work clothes, things that are caked with oil and dirt and blood already.

  
"Okay," Isaac sighs and takes his coat off, throwing it onto a pile where the others have thrown their own jackets. "I don’t want  _any_  of you leaving your pack members. Do you understand me? I don’t want an incident like last time.”

  
A chorus of ‘I understand’ rings out and Isaac nods before shifting. He doesn’t go into his Alpha form, knowing that he needs to be  _naked_  for that to happen and doesn’t want any of the children to see him like that. They’ve seen him in his wolf form, though, a dozen times and they all love it but he never lets them see him shift to or back from it.

  
Once Isaac is shifted, everyone else follows his lead. They still have a while before the moon hangs in the sky but the Alpha figures that it wouldn’t hurt to let everyone run around for a while before the full moon actually comes. It helps them blow off some steam and allows the parents to teach their children a little more.

  
Then the pack is running into the trees, parents leading their children into the forest. Isaac takes his own kids to a small body of water were deer are usually hanging out and lets Noah try to hunt one of them down. He watches, with mild amusement, as his son stalks the deer for a moment before pouncing, hitting the ground instead. The deer runs off, leaves crackling underneath its hooves as it disappears through the trees.

  
The rest of the night goes on like they always do: Isaac watches his kids catch smaller animals and catches a few things himself, taking down a buck just before sunrise. When the pack meets up at the clearing, they’re all covered in blood and head back to Derek’s house to clean up before going home.

  
While the children go upstairs to change and get cleaned up, the adults hang out downstairs, talking about everything. Isaac listens to the conversation as he uses a towel to get the blood off of his face and off his lips, nodding when Lydia asks if he’s okay. He’s just tired, always is after full moons these days, and just wants to go home to take a long, long nap.

  
Isaac leads everyone back to his house and tiptoes through the front door. All of the children are sprawled out on the living room floor, right in front of the television, and everyone murmurs about how cute they are. They all pick up their children, shushing them when they start to fuss, and say goodbye to Isaac before leaving the house.

  
Once everyone is gone, Isaac goes to pick up Madelyn from her spot on the floor and carries her upstairs, chuckling quietly as she starts talking in her sleep. He takes the little girl into her bedroom, lays her down on the bed, and covers her with a blanket before kissing the top of her head lightly.

  
Then the Alpha goes into his bedroom, strips down to nothing, and slides into bed before pressing himself up against Scott’s back. He wraps his arms around the beta’s waist, nuzzles against the side of his neck, and yawns quietly before falling asleep. As Isaac sleeps, he dreams about everything and has a couple of nightmares but stays unconscious.

  
**xx**   


  
A few days after the full moon, Isaac starts feeling weird. He starts looking at Scott, who’s five months pregnant, and wonders what it’d be like to go through something like that. It sparks something in him and suddenly Isaac is  _jealous_  that Scott is the one that’s pregnant, that he’s the one that forms the bond with their child before they’re even born and he feels bitter about it.

  
Until Scott calls him out on the whole thing one night after the kids have been put to bed.

  
"Okay, what the fuck is going on with you?" Scott asks and the words confuse Isaac.

  
"What do you mean?"

  
Scott narrows his eyes and sighs. “I mean… there’s something going on with you and I have no fucking idea what it is. You barely touch me anymore and when you do, it’s like… you don’t even  _want to_ ,” he murmurs, his voice going from harsh to pained.

  
"I want to," Isaac says, maybe a little too quickly, and then sighs as he pinches the bridge of his nose, leaning over the edge of the bed where he’s sitting. "I just…"

  
"You just… what? Talk to me, Is."

  
How can he tell Scott that he’s jealous, that he wants to be the one to carry their baby instead of him? The beta will think he’s nuts and probably laugh in his face because Alpha males aren’t supposed to carry children, they just  _aren’t_.

  
But, oh, Isaac wants it so badly.

  
Sighing, he turns to look at Scott and bites down on his lower lip. “I don’t know when it started but I’m jealous,” he says.

  
"Jealous? Of  _what_?” Scott asks, his eyes widening.

  
"Of…" Isaac trails off and motions toward Scott’s stomach. It takes a moment for the beta to catch what the Alpha is talking about but when he does, he stares at Isaac with his mouth open slightly. "Yeah," is all the Alpha says.

  
Scott scoots forward, wrapping his arms around Isaac’s neck. “You want to be pregnant?”

  
"I don’t know what I want." And it’s true; Isaac doesn’t know if he actually  _wants_  to become pregnant or if he’s just jealous of the way Scott gets to bond with their children while they’re inside of him. “I mean, you get to bond with the kids long before they’re born and you get to feel them kick,” he mumbles.

  
"So do you," Scott points out but Isaac just shakes his head, says that he doesn’t  _understand_. “Make me understand, then. Please, Isaac, I just… want to know what’s going on in that brain of yours.”

  
For a moment, all Isaac can do is think. He bobs his head a little, sighing as he leans into Scott carefully, not wanting to hurt him or squish the baby somehow. “You and the kids have this connection because _you_  carried them and I… might be a little jealous of that,” he mumbles, laughing quietly at just how pathetic he sounds.

  
"Oh," is all Scott can say.

  
"I knew you’d think I was weird," Isaac says as he moves to pull away but Scott just holds him close, shushing him quietly. So the Alpha slumps against his husband and listens to him speak, closing his eyes tightly.

  
"You’re not weird, Isaac, okay? I’m just trying to process this and think about you being pregnant which is… wow, yeah, a good image. I can barely keep my hands off you when  _I’m_  the one that’s pregnant so I can only imagine how awesome the sex will be when you are.”

  
Scott said “when” - not “if” - and Isaac’s heart soars. “Are you saying…”

  
"That I want to knock you up? Hell yeah. I mean, if you can get pregnant," the beta murmurs, rolling a shoulder as he drags his hands all along Isaac’s back and over his shoulders.

  
"It wouldn’t hurt to try…" Isaac grins, gently pushing Scott down onto the mattress. He laughs with his husband, feeling better in that moment than he has in a while, and peppers Scott’s face with small kisses, humming against his skin. "That is, if you want to try to get me pregnant now…"

  
Scott doesn’t say anything; he kisses Isaac long and hard, moving a hand down to stroke him through his pajama bottoms. They don’t say much or really make any noise after that, since their kids are older now and don’t sleep like the dead anymore. But when Isaac opens himself up, holding himself up on his knees above Scott, he whimpers and thinks about what might happen.

  
That night, he rides Scott and stays on top of him for a long time after they’ve both come, panting harshly but smiling. He wants this, wants to have Scott’s baby inside of him, and groans before sliding off his husband’s body, lying down on the mattress beside him.

  
For the next week, Isaac bottoms and they have sex multiple times in a day. He wants, so badly, to be pregnant and to feel what Scott felt and prays, with each time they have sex, that it’ll take. That he’ll be able to experience it at least once before they’re too old to have anymore children.

  
**xx**   


  
Isaac wakes up one morning, two months later, and runs to the bathroom. He leans over the toilet bowl and throws up, groaning loudly as he does so, a growl rising from his throat as he flushes the toilet after a few minutes. This is new to him; Isaac’s never gotten sick like this before, at least not when he wasn’t on the verge of death, and he wonders what the hell is going on with him.

  
When Isaac is done throwing up, he washes his face and brushes his teeth, groaning at his reflection in the mirror. He looks like he hasn’t slept in days, has bags underneath his eyes and he looks… well, frankly he looks like he’s gained some weight. Shrugging it off, the Alpha goes into the bedroom and tugs on a baggy sweatshirt, then a pair of pajama bottoms before going downstairs to join his family in the kitchen.

  
Scott, who is seven months pregnant, is standing at the stove. He’s humming quietly, swaying with Madelyn by his side, the two of them bumping into each other a few times. It’s adorable and Isaac stands in the kitchen doorway, watching the two of them with a fond smile on his face.

  
Madelyn turns when she catches Isaac’s scent and grins. “Morning, daddy,” she chimes.

  
"Morning, baby." Isaac smiles and comes over, the smell of pancakes hitting his nose and almost making him throw up again. He gags, placing a hand over his nose and mouth, and backs away until he’s at a distance where the smell doesn’t bother him. "Those  _reek_ ,” he complains.

  
"Nuh-uh!" Madelyn protests, stomping her little foot on the ground. "They smell ‘mazing."

  
When Scott turns around, there’s a frown on his face. “Are you okay?”

  
"Yeah, I’m fine." The words come muffled against the palm of Isaac’s hand and he sighs. He moves closer to the stove, sitting down at the table and lets his hand drop onto his lap. The smell isn’t  _so bad_ , at least not as bad as it was before, and Isaac sighs as he settles back against his chair. “Actually, I think I might be sick. I just threw up before coming down here.”

  
"I know," Scott murmurs as he shuts the burner off, sliding the last few pancakes onto the platter on the counter. "I could hear you up there and almost came to see if you were okay but Maddie told me the pancakes would burn if I did that."

  
Isaac groans and runs a hand down his face. “What’s wrong with me?”

  
"You haven’t figured it out?"

  
"No?" Isaac answers, his eyebrows pulled together as he stares at Scott.

  
The beta laughs as he brings the platter over, setting it down on the middle of the table. He kisses Isaac’s lips quickly, then his nose before letting his mouth drag up to the Alpha’s forehead, which he kisses gently. “I’m about ninety-nine percent sure you’re pregnant,” Scott whispers, smirking.

  
"Pregnant…"

  
"Mmm hmm. Why else would you be throwing up early in the morning and almost getting sick at the smell of  _pancakes_?” Scott asks as he moves around the kitchen, grabbing plates and cups before setting them on the table. Noah and Emma come in from the living room then, taking their spots at the table, and Isaac just stares at the empty plate in front of him.

  
It happened. He’s pregnant, finally, and as soon as the words sink in, Isaac smiles brightly. He knows that he’ll have to take a test later, to make sure he’s actually pregnant, but now that he’s thinking about it, the Alpha can _feel_  it. The kids ask what’s going on, to which Scott says ‘nothing, now eat your pancakes’, and everyone eats without saying another word.

  
A few hours later, Isaac stops by the drugstore and grabs a test. He takes it at the shop, bounces his leg up and down as he waits for the plus sign to show up, and  _screams_  as soon as it does. Erica runs into the office, grease smeared across her face, and asks what the hell’s wrong with him and if he wants her to drop the lift on Boyd.

  
"I’m pregnant," Isaac says and the beta stares at him, then grins widely. Erica congratulates him, hugs the Alpha tightly, then lets go before running into the garage to tell everyone else while Isaac texts Scott to let him know. He snaps a picture of the test and sends it with "we’re having a fifth" written underneath.

  
**xx**   


  
Two months later, Scott gives birth to a baby boy and they name him Joshua Colton.

  
Joshua is tiny and perfect, looking just like Noah when he was born. The little boy is excited about that, promising that he’ll be the best big brother in the whole world and that he’ll take care of Josh no matter what. It’s cute and Isaac listens to their eldest son talk about his baby brother the whole first day they bring him home.

  
After that, the Alpha starts worrying about his own delivery. He’s only four months pregnant and has five more to go before the moment actually comes, but time has been going by quickly lately. It seems like one minute the kids are one age and if they blink their eyes, they’re a whole year older.

  
Isaac knows that before long, their kids are going to be adults and that thought pains him.

  
**xx**   


  
It’s a stormy night when Isaac goes into labor. Scott’s there, of course, while the rest of the pack watches their children at home. They get to the hospital just in time and the Alpha is whisked away by doctors and nurses that fret over him for a long time. “Something’s wrong,” one of the masked strangers says and Isaac slips into unconsciousness before he can hear what, exactly, is wrong.

  
A few hours later, Isaac wakes up in a bright room with no memory of what happened. He slowly begins to remember what happened, how he was rushed into the operating room, and that he had come there to have his baby. Which wasn’t inside of him anymore because Isaac’s stomach was flat and he lifts a hand to touch it, running his fingers along the thin gown that’s covering his body.

  
There’s a noise in the corner and he turns his head to look, his eyes blinking a few times before settling on the figure sitting in a chair a few feet away. It takes him a moment to realize that it’s Scott and that he’s holding something in his arms, something that’s wriggling around slightly and making noises.

  
"Scott," Isaac murmurs, his voice raspy with disuse.

  
The beta looks up when his name is spoken and smiles. “Hey,” he whispers, shifting the baby in his arms as he stands and walks over to the bed. “I thought you would be out for a while.”

  
"Is the baby — "

  
"He’s fine," Scott answers, chuckling as he pushes a button on the side of the bed. The mattress starts to move, pushing Isaac into a sitting position, and as soon as it’s stopped, the beta sits down next to him. "He doesn’t have a name but he’s fine nonetheless."

  
Isaac smiles, lifting a shaky hand to touch his son’s cheek. “Samuel Grayson,” he murmurs, letting his fingertip run along the baby’s skin before laying his hand on top of the one Scott has resting on their baby’s back.

  
"That sounds like a perfect name."

  
"Mmm… how long was I out?"

"A while," Scott says, his voice sounding tired. "You were unresponsive for a while. Jackson thought you were going to die for good but they managed to pull you back."

  
The words cut Isaac like a knife and he sighs, leaning his cheek against Scott’s shoulder. “I’m never doing this again,” he mutters.

  
"I don’t think either of us can anymore… but that’s okay. We have six beautiful children and that’ll be enough for me. If we want to have more, we can always adopt like Lydia and Erica or Allison and Laura."

  
"Mmm hmm…"

  
Scott hands Samuel over to Isaac and watches the Alpha interact with the infant. He takes a couple of pictures, sending them to the pack to show that them that both baby and dad are fine, and then lies beside them for a while.

  
It’s two days before Isaac is allowed to go home. Even then, he’s to adhere to a strict list of instructions and can’t go back to work for a week. Which sucks but Isaac bides his time by taking care of their two infants, finding it challenging to take care of two babies that are so young but after a while he gets used to it.

  
Isaac is so used to it that, when he’s cleared to go back to work, he doesn’t want to. He does, of course, because they need the money and he needs to do something that isn’t staring at his children, thinking about their futures and how they all ended up where they are.


	34. Chapter 34

[five years later]

Isaac can never remember the other children being difficult when it came to going to school for the first time. He can remember having tiny issues with Madelyn, back when she started kindergarten, but her parents had explained what was going on and eventually she came to realize that school wasn’t that bad. The twins, however, won’t believe a word that comes out of their parents’ mouths and they keep screaming about being shipped off forever.

So, it’s safe to say, that the first day of school is going  _wonderfully_.

Annabel offers to drive the older children to school and Isaac shoots her a grateful look, mouthing ‘thank you’ as he hands her the keys to his SUV. She laughs, says no problem, and rounds the kids up before taking them outside, leaving her parents with two screaming five year olds who don’t want to go anywhere.

"No, daddy, don’t send us - " Joshua hiccups in between words " - off somewheres. We’ll be good, I _pwomise_!”

If the little boy weren’t sobbing, Isaac probably would have thought that was the most adorable thing in the world but now it just tugs at his heartstrings. He goes back into the kitchen, where Scott is sitting at the table with one boy on each side, their faces pressed against his neck. The beta looks up at his husband and mouths, “Help me.”

"Come here," Isaac murmurs, moving to scoop Samuel off Scott’s lap before settling in a chair beside him, sighing. "We’re not sending you guys away forever, okay? We would never do that because you two are our favourites — just don’t tell your siblings that, okay?"

Nothing; no giggles, no smiles. Huh, that one usually works.

Samuel hiccups and wipes his face on Isaac’s shirt. “Why do we gotta go to school?”

"Because all little wolves need to go to school and - " Isaac starts but Scott cuts him off.

"It’s the law. You know that Grandpa John is a police officer, right?" Scott murmurs, moving his hand through Joshua’s hair, smiling when he and his brother nod at the same time. "Well, you don’t want him to come looking for you when he hears that you’re not in school, do you?"

The little boy on Scott’s lap sniffles and hiccups again, shaking his head. “N - no,” he murmurs, his fingers curling around the collar of Scott’s shirt as he presses his face against the front of it, crying softly. “But I wan’ - I wan’ stay here with _you_!”

"Aw, Josh, I’d love for you to stay here with me but I have to make a cake for that big wedding this weekend. You remember, don’t you?" Scott’s voice is soft when he speaks, his fingers carding through his son’s hair slowly, and Isaac’s heart aches at just how sweet he is with their children. It’s something he’s alway admired about the beta.

"Bu - but Sammy and I can help you," Joshua whimpers, moving his head up so that it’s pressed right against the hollow of his father’s throat. "We’re good cookers."

Isaac chuckles quietly and stands, cradling Samuel in his arms. “We know that you two are  _excellent_   chefs but you two need to go to school. Don’t you want to see your cousin Caleb?”

"Uh-huh," Samuel answers, sniffling loudly.

"Then we’ll get you two cleaned up and then we’ll go to school. I’m not going to leave you two until you’re comfortable with me going, I promise." With that, Isaac holds his arm out and Scott stands, handing Joshua to the Alpha. He hefts both boys up higher onto his sides and walks upstairs to the bathroom, setting both boys down on the sink before cleaning them up.

By the time Isaac’s done, he has two giggling wolves in his arm and he smiles, carrying them downstairs before depositing them on the ground. Scott helps them into their coats, slides their backpacks onto their shoulders, and kisses their cheeks. Then he stands, planting a long kiss on the Alpha’s lips, and tells all three of them to be careful.

"Bye, papa!" The twins call out to Scott, waving at him before taking each other’s hands.

And even though they’re not  _identical_  to one another, the pack calls Josh and Sam twins because they were only born a few months apart. Anyone that looks at them can see that they’re clearly  _not_  twins and almost everyone thinks they’re not even related. While Josh has light tanned skin, dark hair, and brown eyes like the rest of his siblings, Samuel doesn’t. He has an even lighter complexion, golden brown hair, and his eyes are a mix of colours.

Once everyone is outside, Isaac puts the boys in the back of the car and makes sure they’re secured in their car seats before climbing in behind the wheel. The whole way to school, both of the twins ask questions and the Alpha answers the best he can. Joshua asks how many wolves are going to be in their class (“I don’t know”); Samuel asks if Isaac is going to be there to pick them up after school (“Of course”); they both want to know if they’ll have snacks like the cupcakes their Papa makes for them and Isaac laughs, saying he doesn’t know that, either.

When they get to the school, Isaac carries the boys inside. They cling to him like they’re really little octopuses instead of wolves, and he takes them into their classroom. Most of the children are werewolves and the teacher is as well, which makes Isaac feel at ease. He feels even more comfortable knowing that Josh and Sam already know several of their classmates. Caleb, Derek and Peter’s youngest, runs up to Isaac almost as soon as they’re inside.

"I see Finn, daddy!" Samuel squeals, wiggling around as he waves to his cousin, Allison and Laura’s little boy. "Pu’me down, I wanna see ‘im!"

"Okay, okay," Isaac laughs and squats, setting the boys down before kissing them both on the foreheads. He watches them run away, their legs wobbling slightly from the weight in their backpacks, and he laughs again. Once they sit down with their cousins and other pack mates, Isaac waves and slips out of the room, his hands in his pockets.

And even though he’s done this before, the Alpha can’t help but feel the same emotions as he always does: worry, fear, anxiety, and this time there’s a new emotion thrown in. Isaac is feeling a little heartbroken because this is the last time they’ll be dropping a child off to kindergarten for the first time.

That thought swirls around in Isaac’s mind for a moment and he can feel his throat closing, his chest tightening painfully as he walks to his car. The very last time that he and Scott will be sending their children off to kindergarten for the first time. It hits him like a punch to the gut and Isaac sits in his car for a moment, staring down at the steering wheel.

So much has happened in the past fifteen years. Isaac thinks back to the moment that started it all, that day in The Wolf Moon cafe when he first met Scott, and a smile spreads across his face at the memory. Sometimes he wishes they could just go back to that moment, back to when they didn’t have to worry about keeping up with so many kids, but then he remembers how Stiles had been cheating on him. Well, if he could go back that’s one thing Isaac knows that he would hate reliving again but… if that hadn’t happened, they wouldn’t be here.

Isaac knows that Stiles is happy now, has  _been_  happy for fifteen years, and it’s not like they aren’t in each other’s lives anymore. Hell, Sheriff Stilinski married Melissa McCall ten years ago and that was bittersweet but it brought everyone together, melding their families even more than they had been.

And sometimes Isaac regrets not bringing his parents back. He regrets not going back to Stiles and saying that he wanted to bring them back from the dead as well, but he’s not terribly upset with his decision. All of his children have grandparents, even if they’re not blood related, and they have pack members to call family.

They have a lot more than Isaac had and he’s thankful for each and every one of them.

xx

It’s a typical Friday night and Isaac’s house is packed with people. They’ve taken to just pushing the furniture out of the way so they can have enough space for everyone and have thought about moving to a bigger place just to accommodate the size of the pack. Children are running around, screeching at the top of their lungs, and a baby cries in the midst of it all.

"Shh, Addison," Cora murmurs to the baby in her arms, rocking her gently. She leans against Boyd, the two of them looking happier each and every day. They have three children: Mia is seven, Daniel is five, and Addison is four months old. It’s kind of weird for Isaac to see his baby sister as a mother but she’s amazing with her children, as well as the rest of the pack’s.

Actually, it’s weird for Isaac to see  _any_  of his siblings as parents. Derek and Peter have four of their own: Natalia and James are fifteen, Jacob is ten, and Caleb is five — and they're all healthy and happy, despite the nature of their parents’ relationship. Which is something that the pack doesn’t bring up, mostly because the kids are too young to understand but also because it’s not really an issue. When Derek and Peter got mated, then married, no one saw them as nephew and uncle; they saw them as husbands, as  _mates_.

Laura and Allison have a few kids of their own, too, though they were adopted: Leah is eight and Finn is five years old. They have the least number in the pack but they’re okay with it, though Allison talks about adopting more children some day and Laura grumbles, saying that she’s far too old for more kids.

Then there are Jackson and Stiles’ kids: Johnathon is sixteen, Claudia is twelve, Adam is eight, and Dylan is four years old. Whenever Isaac looks at Johnathon, he swears that it was just yesterday that Stiles was pregnant with him but now the kid is growing like a weed. He can’t really say anything, though, because Emma is sixteen as well and Isaac knows that, in just a few years, she’ll be off to college or living on her own.

Lydia and Erica’s family has grown, too. They have the fourteen year old twins, Adelaide and Alexander, along with a ten year old boy named Tristan, a six year old girl named Zoe, and a one year old boy named Nathaniel.

The rest of the children are Danny and Ethan’s; a few are Aiden’s that he had with a girl he married a while ago. It results in a huge pack and an even bigger family but, honestly, Isaac wouldn’t trade them all in for anything else in the world. He knows that all of their kids are going to grow up having friends and siblings that they can count on — which is all the Alpha wanted from the get go.

The only person  _not_  in the house is Annabel but Isaac can hear her car pulling up in the driveway, can hear her talking to someone inside. He knew, beforehand, that she was bringing someone by to meet the family and he also knows that it’s serious. The way his daughter looks when she talks about him, she gets that same spark in her eye that Isaac gets in his whenever he’s talking to someone about Scott, even after all these years.

Everyone stops talking when Annabel comes into the house and a tall boy follows her inside, giving everyone a sheepish smile as he looks around the room. He waves, then slides his hand into Annabel’s, and Isaac can hear how hard this kid’s heart is beating, which makes him smile slightly.

"I’d like you all to meet my boyfriend, Luke." Annabel smiles and starts naming people off, pointing at them rapidly before moving onto the next and Luke just looks confused. Finally, she comes over to where Isaac is standing and slips an arm around his waist, hugging him before introducing him as something she hasn’t called him in a long, long time. "This is my daddy."

When he hears that word come from Annabel’s mouth, Isaac smiles. He wants to cry but forces himself to keep calm as he slips his hand into Luke’s free one, shaking it. “Nice to meet you,” he says, smiling brightly when the young man says the same. “You’re human.”

"Dad!" Annabel smacks him lightly and Isaac just laughs. "He didn’t mean that as a bad thing, I’m so sorry," she murmurs to Luke, who’s smiling.

"No worries." Shrugging, Luke runs his free hand through his hair and scratches the nape of his neck. "I’ve grown up with werewolves, though. My mom and dad, they adopted me when I was about two weeks old so it’s the only thing I’ve ever known," he explains.

Isaac smiles, nodding. “Good, so you won’t mind that my youngest children are currently sniffing at you,” he says, nodding to where Joshua and Samuel are, indeed, sniffing Luke’s hands and the sides of his jacket.

"Not at all," Luke says and bends down to tickle the twins’ stomachs, causing them to squeal.

The night goes on like normal and any trepidation Isaac had about Annabel’s boyfriend, which is really just a mild term for mate, bleeds away. Luke is good with the family, even better with the children, and he’s polite which makes the Alpha approve of him.

And, as he watches his family interact with one another, Isaac knows that this is just the start of a brand new chapter in his life. He’s excited and nervous as hell to start it but he knows that as long as he has Scott by his side, there’s nothing they can’t do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, that's all folks. I want to thank you all for reading this fic and giving me your comments/kudos. I know I took a long time to finish this and I apologize for that, as well as any mistakes you may have found along the way. I also want to apologize for the short, crappy ending chapter; I'm not good at writing endings or beginnings, really, but I hope it's satisfactory.
> 
> Thank you guys for sticking by me for so long. :)


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